tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12869899394458379122018-05-23T10:03:48.201+01:00Blog for www.themountaincompany.co.ukwww.themountaincompany.co.ukhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02641924774255965252noreply@blogger.comBlogger214125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1286989939445837912.post-84924331415220853442018-05-18T12:09:00.002+01:002018-05-18T12:11:08.083+01:00Everest expeditions update for Spring 2018 by Jo Clark<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Tndfeg1jVbo/Wv6v_YSPxNI/AAAAAAAADZY/clFWFvUw6nIjN0NotK_CquD9Ydw6Rxb-gCLcBGAs/s1600/DSC00266.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Tndfeg1jVbo/Wv6v_YSPxNI/AAAAAAAADZY/clFWFvUw6nIjN0NotK_CquD9Ydw6Rxb-gCLcBGAs/s320/DSC00266.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: north face of Mt Everest from Tibet</td></tr></tbody></table>It’s an exciting time in the region and Everest Base Camp is a small town, buzzing with the activity of climbers heading up and down the mountain, trekkers visiting and yaks and porters carrying goods up and down the trail. Summits are being rapidly ticked off right now and with good weather, perhaps for the balance of the week. <br /><br />As every season, along with the climbers who are climbing the mountain for personal challenge, the experience and themselves there are a number who are breaking records or making first attempts at something. <br /><br />The record for the fastest ascent of the seven 7 summits has just been broken by Australian <a href="https://project7in4.com/">Steve Plain</a>. He climbed the highest peak on each of the 7 continents in just 117 days - the previous record was 126 days. <br /><br />Two sherpas have also set new records on Everest this year with Kami Rita Sherpa summiting for the 22nd time this year - creating a new record for the most summits. Lhakpa Sherpa summited for the 9th time breaking her own record for the most ascents by a woman. <br /><br />When <a href="https://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/about-the-mountain-company/our-leaders/roland-hunter/">Roland Hunter</a>, The Mountain Company owner and founder summited Everest in 2001 he said ‘I spent half an hour on the summit while enjoying the amazing view, I remember thinking at the time that Makalu in the next valley would be good mountain to climb one day’. <br /><br />One climb leads to another - just as one trek often leads to more.<br /><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HNKnVdVKVuk/Wv6wcn-cvcI/AAAAAAAADZg/XxwYG_GyB_cY18IKsgouNRhd3kyZfuYFQCLcBGAs/s1600/Summit%2Bday%2B7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1055" data-original-width="1600" height="211" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HNKnVdVKVuk/Wv6wcn-cvcI/AAAAAAAADZg/XxwYG_GyB_cY18IKsgouNRhd3kyZfuYFQCLcBGAs/s320/Summit%2Bday%2B7.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: view of Mt Makalu from summit of Everest in 2001 (credit: Roland Hunter)</td></tr></tbody></table><div>If you would like to see to the big mountain from up close, we lead a variety of treks into the Everest region from the classic <a href="https://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/nepal/walking-and-trekking/everest-base-camp/">Everest Base Camp</a> trek to <a href="https://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/nepal/walking-and-trekking/everest-luxury-lodge/">Everest Luxury Lodges</a> - which doesn’t go as high but gets some amazing views of Everest whilst using the most luxurious lodges available in the area. <br /><br />And if you have your heart set on climbing in the himalayas but don’t yet have the experience to climb Everest, why not take a look at our <a href="https://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/nepal/mountaineering/mera-peak-expedition/">Mera Peak Expedition</a> which will be led this November by Everest summiteer <a href="https://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/about-the-mountain-company/our-leaders/robert-mads-anderson/">Robert Mads Anderson</a>. From the summit of Mera Peak you can see four 8000m peaks. <br /><br />We still have spaces on some of our <a href="https://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/news/trips-guaranteed/">guaranteed to run Autumn 2018 trips and all of our Spring 2019 trips</a>. <br /><br />If you want to know more about the climbers on Everest this year, currently one of the most informative blogs on the Everest summit season is <a href="http://www.alanarnette.com/blog/">Alan Arnette</a> <br /><br />As Alan would say - Climb on!<br /><div><br /></div><div><b>Jo Clark&nbsp;</b></div><div><b>Nepal Operations Manager | The Mountain Company</b></div><div><a href="http://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/">www.themountaincompany.co.uk</a></div></div>www.themountaincompany.co.ukhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02641924774255965252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1286989939445837912.post-57092560902983915362018-04-01T12:31:00.001+01:002018-04-04T04:29:41.960+01:00Stupa to Stupa Trail Race in Kathmandu run by The Mountain Company (Jo and Roland)<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Q2JA2F3gcGQ/WsC9_aCQiVI/AAAAAAAADXE/hKgiXnKUNJIK3mNsOLjeFKGRGEAciIOXwCLcBGAs/s1600/unnamed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="750" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Q2JA2F3gcGQ/WsC9_aCQiVI/AAAAAAAADXE/hKgiXnKUNJIK3mNsOLjeFKGRGEAciIOXwCLcBGAs/s320/unnamed.jpg" width="234" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Jo and Roland at Swayambunath Stupa (Credit: Robert Mads Anderson)</td></tr></tbody></table><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">It’s still dark as the taxi pulls up to Swayambhu Stupa on Saturday 24th March and only a few locals can be seen doing the Kora at the bottom. &nbsp;As we climb to the top, I can feel my thighs begin to wake up and I wonder whether 54 km running around the Kathmandu Valley rim from one stupa (Swayambhu) to another (Boudhanath) is realistic or sensible idea.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/">The Mountain Company</a> (Jo and Roland) takes on <a href="https://ultratrailkathmandu.com/buddhist-stupa-stupa-marathon/">Stupa to Stupa!</a></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span>&nbsp;</div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;; font-size: 14.66px; white-space: pre-wrap;">When we met with the other runners- just under 90 of them -, the excitement grew and, whilst walking the Kora of the stupa before the race started, we began to really wake up. As dawn broke, we jogged down the steps and up the first hill (Jamacho) of the trail. Everyone slowed down on the biggest hill of the run and focused on the climb.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: &quot;arial&quot;; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sTIev57t73w/WsC-eko2jNI/AAAAAAAADXM/yWSWj_2QYJYW9uEi3KxPcA3pUVmLOtqPwCLcBGAs/s1600/unnamed%2B%25289%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="810" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sTIev57t73w/WsC-eko2jNI/AAAAAAAADXM/yWSWj_2QYJYW9uEi3KxPcA3pUVmLOtqPwCLcBGAs/s320/unnamed%2B%25289%2529.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: starting Stupa to Stupa (Credit: Robert Mads Anderson)</td></tr></tbody></table><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: &quot;arial&quot;; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-chU0w2pBchU/WsC-spU0JFI/AAAAAAAADXQ/4uz1KS1QrGIpgv3YcS-no5Sxn6Uy5LKlwCLcBGAs/s1600/unnamed%2B%25285%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-chU0w2pBchU/WsC-spU0JFI/AAAAAAAADXQ/4uz1KS1QrGIpgv3YcS-no5Sxn6Uy5LKlwCLcBGAs/s320/unnamed%2B%25285%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Jo on summit of Jamacho (Credit: Robert Mads Anderson)</td></tr></tbody></table><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;;"><span style="font-size: 14.66px; white-space: pre-wrap;">After that the trail opened up and wound through the woodland and beautiful open trails with some gentle ups and downs for the next 54km. The views along the way to snow capped mountains, then, down over Kathmandu at others were breathtaking and made the pain of each step worth the effort. The trail weaving along jeep tracks, through villages and along ridges were was truly varied and beautiful. </span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">I am not going to pretend that there weren’t other hills on the route, that I didn’t walk huge sections, that I didn’t stop and wonder what I was doing. &nbsp;But we did complete the course (with some running and a large amount of walking included in the mix) and it was a huge and memorable experience.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mkaZGhrBYzY/WsC-52btJXI/AAAAAAAADXU/hoo5f8ik4oQiNm6hXIwr6uFAcAOE2-U1ACLcBGAs/s1600/unnamed%2B%25284%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mkaZGhrBYzY/WsC-52btJXI/AAAAAAAADXU/hoo5f8ik4oQiNm6hXIwr6uFAcAOE2-U1ACLcBGAs/s320/unnamed%2B%25284%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Jo on the trail (Credit: Robert Mads Anderson)</td></tr></tbody></table><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ECAMrDMh94s/WsC--UvChsI/AAAAAAAADXc/WtEAbF32xVE_7-M7PiBEu7JnWSunwFcLQCLcBGAs/s1600/unnamed%2B%25287%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1080" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ECAMrDMh94s/WsC--UvChsI/AAAAAAAADXc/WtEAbF32xVE_7-M7PiBEu7JnWSunwFcLQCLcBGAs/s320/unnamed%2B%25287%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo:&nbsp;Jo on the trail (Credit: Robert Mads Anderson)</td></tr></tbody></table><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The day after the run, we were fortunate to attend a talk by one of the Races volunteers </span><a href="http://lizzyhawker.com/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: &quot;arial&quot;; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lizzy Hawker</span></a><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. &nbsp;Lizzy has won the UTMB 5 times, has run the Great Himalaya Trail solo twice, and is a phenomenal athlete and professional trail runner. &nbsp;She spoke to us about her incredible journey traversing the GHT and how she did it alone with so little equipment it makes me rethink what I will put in my own pack on my next expedition.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-48tDXLS8gUA/WsC_a8hWzDI/AAAAAAAADXk/mUOWa8o6OEI49BknWGND-SyIStVqyH3pgCLcBGAs/s1600/unnamed%2B%25288%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1080" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-48tDXLS8gUA/WsC_a8hWzDI/AAAAAAAADXk/mUOWa8o6OEI49BknWGND-SyIStVqyH3pgCLcBGAs/s320/unnamed%2B%25288%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Jo at the finish (Credit: Robert Mads Anderson)</td></tr></tbody></table><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lymNz3i45ZQ/WsC_gGWuHBI/AAAAAAAADXs/X7KTMj3LSV8uemjG-YI5395wmhD2Ot4LQCLcBGAs/s1600/unnamed%2B%25286%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lymNz3i45ZQ/WsC_gGWuHBI/AAAAAAAADXs/X7KTMj3LSV8uemjG-YI5395wmhD2Ot4LQCLcBGAs/s320/unnamed%2B%25286%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Boudha stupa (Credit: Robert Mads Anderson)</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-A2qNsdjn4BU/WsC_j34ngZI/AAAAAAAADXw/er9_G2XpjWoNBTrNjeHtrxorOTwdIvYvwCLcBGAs/s1600/unnamed%2B%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-A2qNsdjn4BU/WsC_j34ngZI/AAAAAAAADXw/er9_G2XpjWoNBTrNjeHtrxorOTwdIvYvwCLcBGAs/s320/unnamed%2B%25282%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Boudha stupa (Credit: Robert Mads Anderson)</td></tr></tbody></table><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">So, one week on and we are already planning to be back next year. &nbsp;The date has already been set for Stupa to Stupa 2019 on March 16th and The Mountain Company plans on expanding it’s participation. &nbsp;We are offering to pay the entry fee for any of our local guides who want to run and will buy them a pair of running shoes to make sure they have the right start.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you would like to take part in next years race and want to start training <a href="https://ultratrailkathmandu.com/buddhist-stupa-stupa-marathon/">take a look at the details here</a>. We suggest taking a good few days to rest after the race before heading out on your trek!</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Many, many thanks to all of the organisers and volunteers for their hard work with Stupa to Stupa 2018. The entire organisation for the race went super smoothly with a fun, friendly and supportive atmosphere. What a great day out and we are already looking forward to 2019! </span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">And finally, if you would like support and sponsor male and female Nepali trail runners hoping to compete at the 2018 Trail World Championship held in Spain please <a href="http://trailrunningnepal.org/TWC2018/">take a look at Trail Running Nepal website</a>. What a great cause and good luck to them all!</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;;"><span style="font-size: 14.66px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Jo Clark- Nepal Operations Manager</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: &quot;arial&quot;;"><span style="font-size: 14.66px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/">The Mountain Company</a></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></div>www.themountaincompany.co.ukhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02641924774255965252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1286989939445837912.post-72690475520284499982017-12-05T06:42:00.002+00:002017-12-05T12:09:38.020+00:00Trip report for Mera Peak Expedition in November 2017 led by Almas Khan and Pema Sherpa<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3ItHiVed_rI/WiZDOnBzaCI/AAAAAAAADTs/BUZf45FfsfAdyxelB0gOtdMZRFTP2V9JgCLcBGAs/s1600/Mera%2BPeak.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="564" data-original-width="960" height="188" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3ItHiVed_rI/WiZDOnBzaCI/AAAAAAAADTs/BUZf45FfsfAdyxelB0gOtdMZRFTP2V9JgCLcBGAs/s320/Mera%2BPeak.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Almas, Sona and Domenico on central summit of Mera Peak</td></tr></tbody></table>Our <a href="https://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/nepal/mountaineering/mera-peak-expedition/">Mera Peak Expedition</a> in November 2017 was led by Almas Khan and our Nepali Sirdar was Pema Sherpa. The climbing Sherpas were Sonam and Lakpa and the cook was Sangram.<br /><br />In this group we had four climbers coming from UK and USA. The first day of the trip was November 4th and everyone met up on morning of November 5th for the trip briefing from Almas. I also attending the briefing. On morning of 6th the group took the flight into Lukla and after lunch started the walk to Puiyan where they stayed the first night of the trek. The ten day trek to Mera Peak went well with sunny &amp; dry post monsoon weather. <br /><br />On November 15th the group arrived as planned to Mera Peak Base Camp at Khare at an altitude of 5,000m. For acclimatisation to the high altitude we include two nights at Khare as well as two nights at Tagnag at an altitude of 4,360m. The guides organised rope training in the morning and the group got all of their own climbing gear set up then had a demonstration and practice session on ascending and descending a fixed rope. These mountaineering skills are required for the steep final summit slopes on Mera Peak where fixed rope is placed by the Sherpas to protect this section of the climb. <br /><br />On November 17th the group left Mera Peak Base Camp and made good progress up to Mera La at 5,415m. Of interest the trail to Mera La now follows the alternative route that I helped find with Domi Sherpa back in November 2012, this has less objective danger from rockfall from ridge above the old route. You can read more about this route to Mera La on our <a href="http://themountaincompany.blogspot.com/2012/12/trip-report-for-mera-peak-nepal-led-by.html">Trip Report from November 2012</a><br /><br />On November 18th Almas, Sonam and Domenico arrived to High Camp and then in early morning of 19th set off for the summit. The group made good progress and summited the central summit of Mera Peak at 6,461m with excellent views of the Himalaya including five 8,000m peaks of Mt Everest, Makalu, Kanchenjunga, Lhotse and Cho Oyu. Almas explains in his own words his experience on summit day as follows:<br /><br /><i>“The best part of the trip was the summit of Mera Peak, it’s a great expedition I would love to go back again. The itinerary is very good with enough time and rest days to acclimatise for high camps and Mera Peak.”</i><br /><br />And as for the weather, Almas reports:<br /><i><br />“The weather forecasts from everestweather.com sent through to my satellite phone were accurate and very helpful. The weather on the trip was good as it did not rain at all and was typical autumn weather. It did get quite windy as we got to the higher camps and on the day we summited the peak. Overall the weather and views were great.”</i><br /><i><br /></i><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vgd6p-RF_O0/TOdxC-85kvI/AAAAAAAABPk/3MWu1EfsOTotAIxtVVso7Qt8BEozHFWVwCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/Climbing%2BMera%2BPeak.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vgd6p-RF_O0/TOdxC-85kvI/AAAAAAAABPk/3MWu1EfsOTotAIxtVVso7Qt8BEozHFWVwCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/Climbing%2BMera%2BPeak.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Photo: summit day on Mera Peak<br /><div><br /></div></td></tr></tbody></table>Throughout this expedition we received weather forecasts from Michael Fagin at everestweather.com and we sent these onto Almas by text to his satellite phone. Having professional weather forecasts is essential for safety on a summit day of 6,000m+ mountain in the Himalaya and for decision making in the field.<br /><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-n3rorE9z-LQ/VLFYtdBj4FI/AAAAAAAACuA/y87AdNWEtNsGbI7hdkIKa529gGkdG5Q1wCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/EverestWeather.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="93" data-original-width="750" height="39" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-n3rorE9z-LQ/VLFYtdBj4FI/AAAAAAAACuA/y87AdNWEtNsGbI7hdkIKa529gGkdG5Q1wCPcBGAYYCw/s320/EverestWeather.gif" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div><br />For Mera Peak Expeditions in Nepal we use Mountain Hardwear Trango 3.1 tents owned by The Mountain Company. These are three person domed tents where there is plenty of space for two people sharing a tent plus gear. More importantly these tents are incredibly strong and are designed for use on expeditions to the highest mountains. I have used Trango 3.1s on expeditions to Everest, Makalu, Broad Peak and Kanchenjunga. As long as these tents are well anchored they will survive almost any storm.<br /><br /><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ChV2R5Pd7Xk/VmUeTxkiIYI/AAAAAAAAC_Y/GEh-t0_vRHgbbCG15Aj9cqhhXV30UOZPgCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/MH%2Blogo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="126" data-original-width="220" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ChV2R5Pd7Xk/VmUeTxkiIYI/AAAAAAAAC_Y/GEh-t0_vRHgbbCG15Aj9cqhhXV30UOZPgCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/MH%2Blogo.jpg" /></a></div><div><br />I enjoyed meeting Almas and the members of this expedition on their return to Kathmandu and heard their feedback about the trip. Several people made comments how they liked our organisation especially as we sent our cooks and food whereas others groups they met were getting food from the lodges. By bringing our own kitchen means the food is better and also we have more control over the hygiene and cleanliness of food preparation.<br /><br />This group had a day in hand as they had not used up their spare summit day so the decision was made to walk to Lukla one day early and we were lucky as were able to change their tickets to fly to Kathmandu on November 23rd.<br /><br />We used SPOT gps tracker for this group, for each night on trek Almas checked in sending a gps signal to us so we could track this group's progress: <a href="https://www.findmespot.com/spotadventures/index.php/view_adventure?tripid=353988">click here to see the way points overlaid onto a map for Mera Peak Expedition</a></div><br />The Mountain Company has a pledge through AITO Project Protect for our groups to collect at least 120kg of rubbish/ trash in the Himalaya and Karakoram during 2017. Our 2017 Mera Peak Expedition trek has collected 103kg of rubbish and Almas's words:<br /><div><br /></div><div><i>"We brought back 13 kgs of rubbish from the two camps above Khare back to Khare village and Sona did a great job of collecting at least 90 Kgs of rubbish from the trails and bringing it back to rubbish disposal places at various camp sites and villages".&nbsp;</i>Well done to Almas and Sona, crew and group for an exceptional contribution to our pledge, thank you!</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Jx-j2oJ3AmI/WiY_2SAPP5I/AAAAAAAADTg/L9z37M4RsW8pylfJIss8j4kENx7D4ZqYgCLcBGAs/s1600/AITO-Project-protect-colour-transparent-tick.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="382" data-original-width="355" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Jx-j2oJ3AmI/WiY_2SAPP5I/AAAAAAAADTg/L9z37M4RsW8pylfJIss8j4kENx7D4ZqYgCLcBGAs/s320/AITO-Project-protect-colour-transparent-tick.png" width="297" /></a></div><div><div><div><br />I would like to thank Almas and Pema for their leadership of this group and Sonam and Lhakpa and the rest of the Nepalese crew who as ever worked exceptionally hard throughout this expedition.<br /><br />Our next expedition to <a href="https://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/nepal/mountaineering/mera-peak-expedition/">Mera Peak</a> will be in April 2018 and this trip is nearly guaranteed to run. We are also planning an expedition in November 2018, please get in touch soon if you would like to join one of these groups.</div></div></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Roland Hunter</b></div><div><b><a href="http://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/">www.themountaincompany.co.uk</a></b></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_ND1rO0UghM/Sz2_9tPHX0I/AAAAAAAACLo/Zi1Z0mc4lScZkwTogTbe3DjFF43fA8ungCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/TMCLogo200.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="185" data-original-width="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_ND1rO0UghM/Sz2_9tPHX0I/AAAAAAAACLo/Zi1Z0mc4lScZkwTogTbe3DjFF43fA8ungCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/TMCLogo200.gif" /></a></div><div><br /></div>www.themountaincompany.co.ukhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02641924774255965252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1286989939445837912.post-85346335457601075812017-11-06T03:46:00.003+00:002017-11-08T10:34:01.058+00:00Trip report for Naar to Upper Mustang GHT trek led by Ade Summers and Gopal Tamang in October 2017<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Anxrhs9z9v8/Wf_VK5pkBdI/AAAAAAAADTA/7AC5G4Ev2SE2V21HFhgxUVBcAbKKvrecACLcBGAs/s1600/P1050303.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Anxrhs9z9v8/Wf_VK5pkBdI/AAAAAAAADTA/7AC5G4Ev2SE2V21HFhgxUVBcAbKKvrecACLcBGAs/s1600/P1050303.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Naar village</td></tr></tbody></table>In October, we organised our second <a href="https://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/nepal/walking-and-trekking/naar-to-upper-mustang/">Naar to Upper Mustang trek</a> along The Great Himalaya Trail (“GHT”) in Nepal. This trek was led by <a href="https://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/about-the-mountain-company/our-leaders/adrian-summers/">Ade Summers</a> and <a href="https://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/about-the-mountain-company/our-local-leaders/gopal-tamang/">Gopal Tamang</a> with assistant guides Khumbu and Nima. Ade led this trek six years ago successfully crossing the Teri La and Gopal had also crossed Teri La on a recce trek for us in Summer 2015. Gopal was also the Sirdar of our November 2015 Naar to Upper Mustang GHT trek led with Tom Lawson. <br /><br />In November 2015 our Naar to Upper Mustang GHT group were unable to cross Teri La as a result of too much snow on the rocky slabs on approach to the pass. Instead they diverted over Kang La to Manang followed by Tilicho La over to Jomsom -----&gt;&nbsp;<a href="http://themountaincompany.blogspot.co.uk/2015/11/trip-report-for-naar-to-mustang-ght.html">you can read our Trip Report</a>. Therefore when we decided to organise this trek again we changed the dates to start in first week of October to allow for optimal conditions on crossing the pass. The drawback of starting at this time of year is the heat &amp; humidity for first few days however as one starts approach to Naar village the temperature starts to cool off making for more pleasant walking conditions.<br /><br />Our October 2017 group had fine weather with clear and sunny conditions, for some days there was afternoon cloud however there was no significant precipitation. We will keep the same dates for future treks as this is the optimal time of year to cross Teri La.&nbsp; Ade describes the weather and conditions as follows:&nbsp; “Perfect weather could not have been better. No snow on the pass or anywhere really. Great conditions.”<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9m4QAGc4Vpc/Wf_VV0013_I/AAAAAAAADTE/UuHREPeBEDkjWFjL_CeQ1Mm2d_etdcD2ACLcBGAs/s1600/P1050378.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9m4QAGc4Vpc/Wf_VV0013_I/AAAAAAAADTE/UuHREPeBEDkjWFjL_CeQ1Mm2d_etdcD2ACLcBGAs/s1600/P1050378.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: approach to Teri La</td></tr></tbody></table><div>Throughout this expedition we received weather forecasts from Michael Fagin at <a href="http://everestweather.com/">everestweather.com</a> and we send these onto Ade by text to the satellite phone. Having professional weather forecasts is essential for safety in crossing high passes and for decision making in the field.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-n3rorE9z-LQ/VLFYtdBj4FI/AAAAAAAACuA/y87AdNWEtNsGbI7hdkIKa529gGkdG5Q1wCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/EverestWeather.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="93" data-original-width="750" height="39" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-n3rorE9z-LQ/VLFYtdBj4FI/AAAAAAAACuA/y87AdNWEtNsGbI7hdkIKa529gGkdG5Q1wCPcBGAYYCw/s320/EverestWeather.gif" width="320" /></a></div><div><br />This year for our <a href="https://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/nepal/walking-and-trekking/naar-to-upper-mustang/">Naar to Mustang GHT</a> there were six trekkers in the group coming from USA, UK and Canada. The group arrived in Kathmandu on October 5th and next day Ade gave his trek briefing to the group on the lovely roof top at Hotel Tibet and I also attended. With this itinerary we have the second day of the trip in Kathmandu for briefings and kit checks, we also use this time to obtain all of the trekking permits required for the trek. <br /><br />On October 7th the group drove to Ngadi to start the trek and this took 10 hours from Kathmandu. From this village it takes three days to walk to Koto where this trail diverts off the more popular Annapurna Circuit trek. Feedback received from this group (and Annapurna Circuit too) was that they did not enjoy walking on the section of road to Jagat&nbsp; as there are fewer options available to walk on New Annapurna Trails (NATs) away from the road.<br /><br />As a result we have updated this itinerary for future groups, we will change vehicles at Ngadi from our bus to local jeeps then continue the drive to Srichaur. From Srichaur the walk takes about one hour to the village of Jagat where we stay the first night of the trek. Therefore by using a combination of bus, jeep and walking it should be possible to arrive to Dharapani two days after leaving Kathmandu.<br /><br />Also at the end of the trek on the way out from Lo Manthang we walk the first day to Ghemi and second day to Samar as these days are well worth walking through the spectacular Upper Mustang landscape with visits to interesting monasteries. The next day we take a jeep from Samar to Jomsom (changing vehicle in Chusang). With more roads encroaching in Nepal Himalaya it now makes sense to use jeeps to drive further into and out of the mountains to maximise the time spent up high in the beautiful and remote areas.</div><div><br />On October 11th the fourth day of the trek this itinerary heads north up the deep gorge of the Naar Phu Khola (river). After one night at Meta camp in the pine and bamboo forests at an altitude of 3,250m they walked up to Naar village at 4,100m where they spent two nights for acclimatisation. On October 13th the group left Naar village to start the approach to Teri La pass by following the Lapse Khola (river) valley, staying the first night at a Yak Kharka camp at an altitude of 4,400m. This section of the trail is narrow and steep but everyone made good progress to camp.<br /><br />On October 14th they continued to a higher camp in the Lapse Khola valley at an altitude of 4,600m, then the next day to walked up to High Camp below the Teri La pass at an altitude of 5,200m. Their day for crossing the pass was fine weather with excellent views and luckily the forecasted high winds did not happen. The conditions on the pass were dry with no snow and they followed the long trail down to their camp at Pasphu Khola camp (4,750m).&nbsp;</div><div><br /></div><div>The group commented there were several exposed sections on the descent from Teri La pass so it is necessary for anyone joining this trek to have accurate foot placement while walking and confidence in walking on rocky terrain without a defined trail. There was also a fresh landslide area with larger rocks and boulders to cross and it is likely this may have been caused by the 2015 earthquake.<br /><br />The feedback received from the leaders and the group was that the days approaching the pass were too long and our altitude of High Camp was lower than the actual height (the correct altitude is 5,200m). Therefore for future <a href="https://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/nepal/walking-and-trekking/naar-to-upper-mustang/">Naar to Upper Mustang GHT</a> treks we have added one more camp before the pass at Teri La Base Camp at 4,900m to help with acclimatisation to high altitude and to shorten the days. This is a beautiful valley and having more time in afternoon around camp to explore would be a good option before crossing the pass over to Upper Mustang.<br /><br />As the crew and group were tired after several long days before and after Teri La pass, Ade decided to have two shorter days walking to Lo Manthang. As the group requested to have two nights in this village to explore north on the way back to Jomsom people took a jeep along the road for some sections.<br /><br />We used SPOT gps tracker for this group, for each night on trek Ade checked in sending a gps signal to us so we could track this group's progress ----&gt; <a href="https://www.findmespot.com/spotadventures/index.php/view_adventure?tripid=352437">click here to see the GPS map for Naar to Mustang GHT</a><br /><br />As planned the group flew back from Jomsom to Pokhara to Kathmandu on October 27th. I met them on their arrival to Hotel Tibet and we had a very useful debrief meeting, I appreciate the feedback received and we will incorporate this into the planning and organisation for future treks. As mentioned in this Trip Report we have already made changes to Naar to Upper Mustang GHT itinerary for 2018 ----&gt; <a href="https://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/nepal/walking-and-trekking/naar-to-upper-mustang">take a look at TMC website</a>. The trip length is 25 days from Kathmandu. As we take jeeps further up the road on way in and on way out to Jomsom this maximises the time spent up high in the beautiful &amp; remote areas as well as shortening the long days before Teri La to enhance acclimatisation too.<br /><br />Overall the opinion from Ade and the group was the trail on <a href="https://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/nepal/walking-and-trekking/naar-to-upper-mustang/">Naar to Upper Mustang GHT</a> was a beautiful trek passing through a remote area of Nepal and with very few other trekkers around, they saw only one small group of two people after Naar village until arriving to Lo Manthang. It is refreshing to hear that there are still trails in Nepal during the peak month of October that are not too busy with other trekkers like the more popular Everest and Annapurna regions of Nepal.<br /><br />Thanks very much to Ade and Gopal for their hard work in leading this trek and to the assistant guides, Khumbu and Nima and the cook, Suk Bahadur Rai. The group have all given positive feedback on the food so well done to Suk and his team!<br /><br />The Mountain Company plans to organise our next <a href="https://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/nepal/walking-and-trekking/naar-to-upper-mustang/">Naar to Upper Mustang GHT</a> trek in October 2018, please get in touch soon if you like to join this trek.<br /><br />Trek on!<br /><b><br /></b><b>Roland Hunter</b><br /><b><a href="http://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/">www.themountaincompany.co.uk</a></b><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-g0frvyTRLq8/WTa93sRyM3I/AAAAAAAADNI/rKvKrgFQHMgT3TjcNPWk1p6czA7tOV2MQCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/TMC_masterLogo_250.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="231" data-original-width="250" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-g0frvyTRLq8/WTa93sRyM3I/AAAAAAAADNI/rKvKrgFQHMgT3TjcNPWk1p6czA7tOV2MQCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/TMC_masterLogo_250.jpg" /></a></div><br /></div>www.themountaincompany.co.ukhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02641924774255965252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1286989939445837912.post-87265963786395150482017-11-03T15:09:00.001+00:002017-12-14T13:14:28.443+00:00Trip report for Dhaulagiri Circuit led by Natalie Wilson and Pema Sherpa in October 2017<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5043xUF8d2w/WjJ2lK0IgZI/AAAAAAAADUA/iGl2fdLXofotlKBJ3jseIrCytvey_TOUwCLcBGAs/s1600/Dhaulagiri%2BI%2Bfrom%2BFrench%2BPass.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="213" data-original-width="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5043xUF8d2w/WjJ2lK0IgZI/AAAAAAAADUA/iGl2fdLXofotlKBJ3jseIrCytvey_TOUwCLcBGAs/s1600/Dhaulagiri%2BI%2Bfrom%2BFrench%2BPass.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Mt Dhaulagiri seen from French Pass in October 2017 (credit: Natalie Wilson)</td></tr></tbody></table>In October we organised our 15th trek around <a href="https://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/nepal/walking-and-trekking/dhaulagiri-circuit/">Dhaulagiri Circuit</a> in Nepal and out of these 13 groups successfully &amp; safely crossed the passes over to Jomsom. The two years where our groups had to turn back was after Cyclone HudHud in October 2014 and the earthquake in April 2015 ----&gt; <a href="https://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/nepal/walking-and-trekking/dhaulagiri-circuit/report/">you can read all of our Trip Reports for Dhaulagiri Circuit</a><br /><br />Our leaders for our October 2017 Dhaulagiri Circuit trek were <a href="https://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/about-the-mountain-company/our-leaders/natalie-wilson/">Natalie, known as Nat, Wilson (UK)</a> and Pema Sherpa (Nepal) and the asssistant guides supporting the group were Sona, Bale and Kancha. We had thirteen people in this group and like in previous years this group was an international mix with people coming from UK, USA, Germany, Canada, Australia and Denmark.<br /><br />The group arrived to Kathmandu on October 8th, in the afternoon Nat gave her group briefing in the garden of Hotel Manaslu and I attended too. On the next day 9th they flew to Pokhara where they spent one night. Nat organised a group meal at Road House restaurant on Lakeside in the evening and I heard everyone enjoyed their time in Pokhara before starting the trek. On morning of 10th they drove by bus to the road head at Beni where they met the crew then walked to their first camp at Babichaur. <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-td8RidpWSI4/WjJ3MgKezkI/AAAAAAAADUI/skHqfyuMzVYyhT5zIG5EaFesD6ed2luNACEwYBhgL/s1600/P1070087.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="213" data-original-width="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-td8RidpWSI4/WjJ3MgKezkI/AAAAAAAADUI/skHqfyuMzVYyhT5zIG5EaFesD6ed2luNACEwYBhgL/s1600/P1070087.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: October 2017 group having breakfast at Dharapani (credit: Natalie Wilson)</td></tr></tbody></table>The trek went well and the group arrived to Italian Base Camp as planned on October 16th. On October 22nd the group crossed French Col into Hidden Valley. I think probably the weather and conditions experienced by this group was the best on any of our previous October treks. Nat sums up below:<br /><br /><i>"The weather was absolutely fantastic. An hour or so of rain at Sallaghiri, some cold winds and a little snow up high but settled mornings, great views, bit of cloud build up in afternoon."</i><br /><br />Throughout this expedition we received weather forecasts from Michael Fagin at <a href="http://everestweather.com/">everestweather.com</a> and we sent these onto Nat by text to her satellite phone. Having professional weather forecasts is essential for safety in crossing high passes and for decision making in the field.<br /><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-n3rorE9z-LQ/VLFYtdBj4FI/AAAAAAAACuA/y87AdNWEtNsGbI7hdkIKa529gGkdG5Q1wCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/EverestWeather.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="93" data-original-width="750" height="39" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-n3rorE9z-LQ/VLFYtdBj4FI/AAAAAAAACuA/y87AdNWEtNsGbI7hdkIKa529gGkdG5Q1wCPcBGAYYCw/s320/EverestWeather.gif" width="320" /></a></div><div><br />We have carefully designed our <a href="https://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/nepal/walking-and-trekking/dhaulagiri-circuit/">Dhaulagiri Circuit</a> trek for acclimatisation and our groups have two nights at Italian Base Camp at 3,660m followed by two nights at Glacier Camp at 4,200m then a further two nights at Dhaulagiri Base Camp at 4,700m. Only with this ascent profile will you have enough time for your body to adapt to the high altitude for safe crossing of the high passes and for sleeping in Hidden Valley at 5,050m.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FO24P66Usbs/WjJ37JEU7GI/AAAAAAAADUU/BNyKOCDALXk-vhRNfVNDYCh8ymaonzEFwCLcBGAs/s1600/P1070175.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="320" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FO24P66Usbs/WjJ37JEU7GI/AAAAAAAADUU/BNyKOCDALXk-vhRNfVNDYCh8ymaonzEFwCLcBGAs/s320/P1070175.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Pema Sherpa demonstrating use of PAC bag (credit: Natalie Wilson)</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div>As with all of TMC camping treks we track their progress while in the field through SPOT gps check ins -----&gt; <a href="https://www.findmespot.com/spotadventures/index.php/view_adventure?tripid=349824">see the map of this trek in SPOT Adventure website</a><br /><br />Within our Dhaulagiri Circuit itinerary after crossing the high&nbsp; passes we fly out from Jomsom to Pokhara and then change planes for the flight back to Kathmandu. During the trek we were informed by Goma Air that they had decided to cancel our confirmed booking for this flight from Jomsom. As this is peak season we tried to rebook onto another airlines however Tara Airlines was full so it looked likely at one stage this group would have to drive from Jomsom to Pokhara down the rough jeep road along Kali Gandaki river. Luckily a few days before the group arrived to Pokhara we managed to book a charter plane from Tara Airlines directly back to Kathmandu. This is the reality of travelling in Nepal and confirmed bookings are not always honoured so it is worth bearing this in mind if you are considering a trip to Nepal! This is adventure travel...<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EcYzqevnCdw/WjJ4KkolV4I/AAAAAAAADUY/Be7JIxHVUc86j92kqjy-FdBqZrWcJg7GwCLcBGAs/s1600/P1070338.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="213" data-original-width="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EcYzqevnCdw/WjJ4KkolV4I/AAAAAAAADUY/Be7JIxHVUc86j92kqjy-FdBqZrWcJg7GwCLcBGAs/s1600/P1070338.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: October 2017 group in Hidden Valley (credit: Natalie Wilson)</td></tr></tbody></table>Nat summarises her experience leading this group as follows:<br /><i><br /></i><i>"In my opinion Dhaulagiri Circuit is an incredible trip and we were particularly lucky to have better than expected weather every day. We only saw a couple of other groups and had the high camps all to ourselves. I think the group enjoyed it a lot and there were no fitness issues or excessive fatigue or struggle and for the main everyone stayed in good health. We experienced wonderful views and had a good crew with a nice atmosphere.&nbsp;The food was excellent – Sangram and his team did an excellent job. Lots of carbs but balanced out with plenty of veggies, lots of variety. His cakes, chicken curry and chop suey on the last night was absolutely the best yet!"</i><br /><i><br /></i><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uJguBGgGarQ/WjJ4ze0qq6I/AAAAAAAADUg/VdfUKPw-WU8LkHQnSV5J0OO-KEGb1Jp6gCLcBGAs/s1600/Views%2BDamphus%2BPass%2BDhaulagiri%2BCircuit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="213" data-original-width="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uJguBGgGarQ/WjJ4ze0qq6I/AAAAAAAADUg/VdfUKPw-WU8LkHQnSV5J0OO-KEGb1Jp6gCLcBGAs/s1600/Views%2BDamphus%2BPass%2BDhaulagiri%2BCircuit.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: October 2017 group crossing Dhampus Pass (credit: Natalie Wilson)</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Congratulations to the group for completing Dhaulagiri Circuit. I would like to thank Nat, Pema and Sangram plus the rest of the team for their help and hard work.<br /><br />The Mountain Company organises our <a href="https://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/nepal/walking-and-trekking/dhaulagiri-circuit/">Dhaulagiri Circuit</a> trek twice a year in April and October. Our Dhaulagiri Circuit group in April 2018 is nearly guaranteed to run so please get in touch soon if you like to join this group.<br /><br />Trek on!</div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Roland Hunter</b></div><div><b><a href="http://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/">www.themountaincompany.co.uk</a></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_ND1rO0UghM/Sz2_9tPHX0I/AAAAAAAACLo/Zi1Z0mc4lScZkwTogTbe3DjFF43fA8ungCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/TMCLogo200.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="185" data-original-width="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_ND1rO0UghM/Sz2_9tPHX0I/AAAAAAAACLo/Zi1Z0mc4lScZkwTogTbe3DjFF43fA8ungCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/TMCLogo200.gif" /></a></div>www.themountaincompany.co.ukhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02641924774255965252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1286989939445837912.post-35415843606327187062017-11-03T14:03:00.001+00:002017-11-11T02:52:43.317+00:00Trip report for Lunana Snowman in Bhutan led by Almas Khan in September/ October 2017<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_jtsX0EfVwM/SQbpX0z3HlI/AAAAAAAAAEQ/TY1wBO5hGcAVFyeKJ9d1aX8V35zefbnRwCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/DSC01736.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_jtsX0EfVwM/SQbpX0z3HlI/AAAAAAAAAEQ/TY1wBO5hGcAVFyeKJ9d1aX8V35zefbnRwCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/DSC01736.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Tshorim Lake before Gophu La pass</td></tr></tbody></table><div>This is the ninth time The Mountain Company has organised the <a href="https://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/bhutan/walking-and-trekking/lunana-snowman/">Complete Lunana Snowman trek</a> in Bhutan starting in Paro and finishing in Bumthang. Our Snowman 2017 went well and this group successfully made the full traverse through Lunana out to Bumthang. The Mountain Company has 100% track record of organising this challenging 28 day trek through the remote Bhutanese Himalaya.</div><br />This year we had fourteen trekkers signed up for Lunana Snowman and like in previous years this group was an international mix with people coming from UK, USA, Australia, Singapore, Belgium and Denmark. Our 2017 Snowman group was led by <a href="https://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/about-the-mountain-company/our-leaders/almas-khan/">Almas Khan</a> and he has now completed this trek nine times too!<br /><br />For our 2017 Snowman we had a strong and experienced local crew who have worked with us for many years. The two regular guides are Tashi and Tsering Dorje, I remember leading the first TMC Snowman trek with these two back in 2008! It has been wonderful to see both Tashi and Tsering develop as guides over the years coached by Almas and also we have invested in their training by sending them to Kathmandu for their Wilderness Medical Training at KEEP. Thanks Tashi and Tsering for all of your help over the years!<br /><br />The cook, Sonam, and his kitchen helpers were new for last year's Snowman and as they did such a great job we requested their services again this year. I have heard from both Almas and group that the food was very good and has certainly improved since Sonam came on board. I have copied Almas’s comments on the food below:<br /><i><br />“The quality of the food was very good and most of the clients commented they loved it. Hygiene standards by the entire kitchen crew were up to our standards. Quantity of food was adequate too.”</i><br /><div><i><br /></i></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oRRQUFKJQdc/SQbphIeo39I/AAAAAAAAAEY/vImu3oLoZKoq1LUzwlOZQtXpgGniuXdfQCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/DSC01596.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oRRQUFKJQdc/SQbphIeo39I/AAAAAAAAAEY/vImu3oLoZKoq1LUzwlOZQtXpgGniuXdfQCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/DSC01596.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: view from Karchung La</td></tr></tbody></table><div>Overall the weather and conditions were favourable compared to previous years although this group had some rain &amp; cloud crossing Karchung La into Lunana however they got lucky with stable &amp; sunny weather on the exit passes over Gophu La and Saga La. We received weather forecasts of over 1m of snow for the day this group crossed the last passes over to Tso Chenchen as there was a low pressure system coming off the Bay of Bengal. However luckily this group was spared the extreme weather as the system tracked away from Bhutan at last minute! I have copied Almas’s assessment of weather and conditions below:<br /><br /><i>“The weather on the trip was very kind to us. Most of the time it only rained after we reached the camp. Not the best views at times. Rained and snowed on us while we walked on the day we walked over Karchung La to Tarina. Had excellent weather at the Tshorim lake and over the Gophu La. It was not as cold as I had expected. The lowest temperatures experienced were at Tshorim and Michigang -12. 8 Celsius at night outside and about -5 Celsius inside the tent in the coldest hour before dawn. Some group members found the trails a bit muddy - personally I have seen them worse on some previous treks."</i><br /><i><br /></i><br />Throughout our Lunana Snowman trek we receive bespoke weather forecasts from Michael Fagin at <a href="http://everestweather.com/">everestweather.com</a> and this information is sent through to Almas on his satellite phone. Having professional weather forecasts is essential for safety in crossing high passes and for decision making in the field. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-n3rorE9z-LQ/VLFYtdBj4FI/AAAAAAAACuA/y87AdNWEtNsGbI7hdkIKa529gGkdG5Q1wCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/EverestWeather.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="93" data-original-width="750" height="39" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-n3rorE9z-LQ/VLFYtdBj4FI/AAAAAAAACuA/y87AdNWEtNsGbI7hdkIKa529gGkdG5Q1wCPcBGAYYCw/s320/EverestWeather.gif" width="320" /></a></div><br />Our Snowman 2017 group made good progress and did not lose any days due to bad weather or other delays along the way. This year Almas decided to have two nights at Thanza to allow the group and crew to rest as the weather forecast was showing stable weather for a week allowing adequate time to cross Gophu La and Saga La.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aI53AdUi4xE/SQbpJVUvqfI/AAAAAAAAAEI/09a-TeDIRCE5f3vdtqar9GVS76_nwL2jQCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/DSC01752.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aI53AdUi4xE/SQbpJVUvqfI/AAAAAAAAAEI/09a-TeDIRCE5f3vdtqar9GVS76_nwL2jQCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/DSC01752.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Gophu La pass</td></tr></tbody></table><div>Of interest on the day crossing Gophu La out of Lunana one of the cook boys saw a snow leopard while having a rest sitting on a rock near Geche Woma camp. Almas told me how this person was so startled that he dropped his chocolate bar (!) on the ground. Two members of the group also saw the snow leopard from afar as the cat quickly moved away. On further inspection of this area there were print mark seen in the sand that looked like snow leopard so we will take this is a confirmed snow leopard sighting! Blue sheep were also seen around Chomolhari Base Camp.<br /><br />We used SPOT gps tracker for this group and each night Almas checked in sending a gps signal to us so we could track this group's progress ---&gt;&nbsp; <a href="https://www.findmespot.com/spotadventures/index.php/view_adventure?tripid=353193">see the way points overlaid onto a map for Lunana Snowman</a><br /><br />The Mountain Company has a pledge through <a href="http://themountaincompany.blogspot.co.uk/2017/06/the-mountain-company-pledge-for-aito.html">AITO Project Protect</a> for our groups to collect at least 120kg of rubbish/ trash in the Himalaya and Karakoram during 2017. Our 2017 Lunana Snowman trek has collected 40kg of rubbish from the trails and around campsites and was carried out to the road head by the ponies during resupply at Laya and out to the end of the trek at Minchugang. Well done to Almas, crew and group!</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YaYvNb9lZ4M/Wfx6cjspY3I/AAAAAAAADSo/6l10RIUA5vsziZLHpZBF99bJcJEgQOY7wCLcBGAs/s1600/0O3A4916.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="428" data-original-width="640" height="214" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YaYvNb9lZ4M/Wfx6cjspY3I/AAAAAAAADSo/6l10RIUA5vsziZLHpZBF99bJcJEgQOY7wCLcBGAs/s320/0O3A4916.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Tsering weighing the rubbish collected on Snowman</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jTbMEmnqbqQ/Wfx6kIBURNI/AAAAAAAADSs/l50RSia50uYINkhJWU62in0YwxchALtzgCLcBGAs/s1600/0O3A4922.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="428" data-original-width="640" height="214" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jTbMEmnqbqQ/Wfx6kIBURNI/AAAAAAAADSs/l50RSia50uYINkhJWU62in0YwxchALtzgCLcBGAs/s320/0O3A4922.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: baskets of rubbish collected</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9oBdqS4PRRE/Wfx615GFQNI/AAAAAAAADSw/jC48FmBUKSsbgpT57afQDBqmJ6YaI_CbgCLcBGAs/s1600/AITO-Project-protect-colour-transparent-tick.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="382" data-original-width="355" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9oBdqS4PRRE/Wfx615GFQNI/AAAAAAAADSw/jC48FmBUKSsbgpT57afQDBqmJ6YaI_CbgCLcBGAs/s320/AITO-Project-protect-colour-transparent-tick.png" width="297" /></a></div><br />I have copied below feedback received from one member of the group now&nbsp;<a href="https://www.aito.com/the-mountain-company/reviews/1">published on AITO review site</a>:<br /><br /><i>"The Lunana Snowman trek is a major logistical challenge for the leader to organise horses and food over such a long remote trek. On this trip everything worked really smoothly. TMC offer the Bumthang exit to the trek which is much less frequently visited and we had a real sense of being in a quite different world in Lunana. The scenery is fantastic, the walk is long but most days are quite straightforward. There is a bit of a sting in the tail going over the last few passes but by then we were all pretty fit and acclimatized. The Mountain Company was very efficient. Potential trekkers are screened for suitability so the risk of being held up by someone unfit is minimised. From personal experience I can confirm this is important!"</i><br /><i><br /></i>Many thanks to Almas, Tsering Dorje, Tashi, Tsering, Sonam and rest of the crew for all of their hard work with organising and leading another successful Snowman trek. Thanks also to Kinley and Dawa in the office in Thimphu who have provided an excellent service with their logistics and planning for this long and remote trek.<br /><br />We have now launched the dates and prices for <a href="https://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/bhutan/walking-and-trekking/lunana-snowman/">Lunana Snowman 2018</a> on TMC website so please get in touch soon if you would like to join this group. We have already received strong interest and this group is likely to fill fast as Snowman 2017 was fully booked with fourteen trekkers by April over six months before departure date.<br /><br />Trek on!</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Roland Hunter</b></div><div><b><a href="http://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/">www.themountaincompany.co.uk</a></b><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_ND1rO0UghM/Sz2_9tPHX0I/AAAAAAAACLo/Zi1Z0mc4lScZkwTogTbe3DjFF43fA8ungCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/TMCLogo200.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="185" data-original-width="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_ND1rO0UghM/Sz2_9tPHX0I/AAAAAAAACLo/Zi1Z0mc4lScZkwTogTbe3DjFF43fA8ungCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/TMCLogo200.gif" /></a></div></div>www.themountaincompany.co.ukhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02641924774255965252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1286989939445837912.post-53906525834913058842017-09-19T12:55:00.001+01:002017-09-25T14:10:35.696+01:00Trip report for Ladakh Sky Trail GHT led by Almas Khan in August/ September 2017<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9DlWmmoL8Zs/VFcp8TF3jUI/AAAAAAAACdE/EAJJ4qLTGkwvGuYgZcLT26Lcyfg01WSAACPcBGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_1220.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9DlWmmoL8Zs/VFcp8TF3jUI/AAAAAAAACdE/EAJJ4qLTGkwvGuYgZcLT26Lcyfg01WSAACPcBGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_1220.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Tso Moriri lake at finish of LST</td></tr></tbody></table>In August/ September 2017 we organised our 4th <a href="http://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/india/walking-and-trekking/ladakh-skytrail-ght/">Ladakh Sky Trail GHT</a> in northern India. Almas Khan is the leader and organiser for this trek and this year we had an international mix with people coming from Australia, USA and UK.<br /><div><br /></div><div>As mentioned in <a href="http://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/india/walking-and-trekking/ladakh-skytrail-ght/report/">previous trip reports</a> our Ladakh Sky Trail GHT is a unique itinerary designed by Almas and travels through the best of the three areas of this region: Ladakh, Zanskar and Changthang/ Rupshu. For most of Ladakh Sky Trail GHT we follow rarely trekked trails and this is only possible due to the local knowledge of Almas and our local Ladakhi guides.<br /><br />These days in most areas of the Himalaya there are more and more trekking groups around and with increasing construction of roads means that more places are accessible. With many years experience of running treks in the Himalaya The Mountain Company specialises in searching out and organising the most remote treks with fewer other groups around. If you are looking to get truly off the beaten track then Ladakh Sky Trail is a good choice for India, <a href="http://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/bhutan/walking-and-trekking/lunana-snowman/">Lunana Snowman for Bhutan</a> and <a href="http://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/nepal/walking-and-trekking/upper-dolpo-to-jomsom/">Upper Dolpo to Jomsom GHT for Nepal</a>.<br /><div><br /></div><div>Our <a href="http://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/india/walking-and-trekking/ladakh-skytrail-ght/">Ladakh Sky Trail GHT</a> group arrived to Leh on August 15th and on 18th drove to Lamayuru (3,500m) and 19th they started the trek. One of the changes we implemented for this year was to have three nights in Leh whereas in previous years we only had two nights. As Leh is located at 3,500m the more time one has here to adjust to this high altitude the better before heading off on trek and ascending high passes.<br /><br />The feedback from this group has been positive with no reported issues relating to altitude sickness and Almas feels that having an extra night in Leh helps everyone feel stronger during the first week on the trek. There are lots of interesting places to see in and around Leh so this extra time is used well to get a feel for the scenery, culture and pace of life in Ladakh.</div><div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CuKn8JUjWts/VFcpMnetorI/AAAAAAAACck/FaiAYTQTD7QAaI-bACKbOu9cMQb-txiVwCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_1142.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CuKn8JUjWts/VFcpMnetorI/AAAAAAAACck/FaiAYTQTD7QAaI-bACKbOu9cMQb-txiVwCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_1142.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: river crossings during LST</td></tr></tbody></table><div>As for all or our treks in the Himalayas we received bespoke weather forecast from Michael Fagin at <a href="http://everestweather.com/">everestweather.com</a>. Fortunately the weather was good for our 2017 Ladakh Sky Trail GHT trek and for your information I have copied Almas’s words from his trip report:<br /><br /><i>“The weather on the trip was good. The days were hot in the beginning of the trek till we reached Zangla. It rained only one day while we were in the gorge. That day we camped short at Tilat Sumdo instead of Kumarasumdo. Next day the weather cleared up and we easily covered up the hour and a half we lost the previous day. The weather got cold after Tshokar lake and got light dusting of snow on some nights. Overall the weather for LST 2017 was really good and I think we run this trip at the optimal time of year.”</i><br /><br />As mentioned in <a href="http://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/india/walking-and-trekking/ladakh-skytrail-ght/report/">previous year’s Trip Reports</a> we have carefully selected the time of year to run this trek, by starting in late August into September much of the snow in the mountains has already melted over the summer so river levels should be lower at this time of year. As Almas explains above this trek is in the shoulder season so expect the weather to cool off during the trek as the conditions become more Autumnal towards the end of the trip.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Nl6wDIoRINY/VFcpoHHKwBI/AAAAAAAACc0/RA_9NwvrP_4QvqOG6QQ_efv-4Cd4jk24QCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_1206.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Nl6wDIoRINY/VFcpoHHKwBI/AAAAAAAACc0/RA_9NwvrP_4QvqOG6QQ_efv-4Cd4jk24QCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_1206.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: peaks around Tso Moriri lake</td></tr></tbody></table><div>As the weather and conditions were favourable the group made good progress and followed the itinerary as planned. The group arrived to end of the trek at Tsomoriri lake on September 9th and then on 10th drove back to Leh. As with all of TMC western led treks we track their progress while in the field through SPOT gps check ins, <a href="https://www.findmespot.com/spotadventures/index.php/view_adventure?tripid=351170">you can see the map of this trek on SPOT Adventure website</a><br /><br />We have made one change on the kit list for our 2018 Ladakh Sky Trail GHT based on feedback from this group and from Almas. In previous years&nbsp;we recommended fully enclosed sandals for the river crossings however this year Almas used a water shoe called <a href="http://www.merrell.com/UK/en_GB/waterpro-maipo/16227M.html">Merrell Waterpro Maipo</a>&nbsp;and this provided more protection during the three days walking in the gorge. I have copied Almas's comments below:<br /><br /><i>"I have tried several styles of shoes for river crossing shoes over the last three LSTs - I feel water shoes without any Velcro work the best - laces are more efficient than Velcro which gets clogged with sediment and stops working. The mesh foot coverage prevents small pebbles getting in and also they were comfortable to walk in between river crossings. We should update the kit list to include water shoes as there are more than 130 river crossings over three days and a lot walking in between. Also can double for camp / travel shoes"</i><br /><i><br /></i></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QTDBkgGjW8Y/VFcpwKSmoGI/AAAAAAAACc8/fICzcEfvJWAoEeVEcx_v9AYqTlWXnWZYACPcBGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_1188.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QTDBkgGjW8Y/VFcpwKSmoGI/AAAAAAAACc8/fICzcEfvJWAoEeVEcx_v9AYqTlWXnWZYACPcBGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_1188.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: peaks around Tso Moriri lake</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br />The Mountain Company has a pledge through <a href="http://themountaincompany.blogspot.co.uk/2017/06/the-mountain-company-pledge-for-aito.html">AITO Project Protect</a> for our groups to collect at least 120kg of rubbish/ trash in the Himalaya and Karakoram during 2017. Our 2017 Ladakh Sky Trail GHT has collected 10kg of rubbish from the trails and around campsites and this is more than our target of 4kg per group so well done to Almas, crew and group!</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qlYjCYUxNxY/Wcj_zMZulSI/AAAAAAAADRw/WE_IyxyWs_gOEgX7xqbrE09k7olqvXa-QCLcBGAs/s1600/AITO-Project-protect-colour-transparent-tick.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="382" data-original-width="355" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qlYjCYUxNxY/Wcj_zMZulSI/AAAAAAAADRw/WE_IyxyWs_gOEgX7xqbrE09k7olqvXa-QCLcBGAs/s320/AITO-Project-protect-colour-transparent-tick.png" width="297" /></a></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AmvmbTXRxFU/Wcj_7j43bEI/AAAAAAAADR0/7-pBj0qag_AEcOQh9cX_D8EVD-FFaQD7wCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_0541.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AmvmbTXRxFU/Wcj_7j43bEI/AAAAAAAADR0/7-pBj0qag_AEcOQh9cX_D8EVD-FFaQD7wCLcBGAs/s320/IMG_0541.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo; photo of rubbish collected on LST 2017</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br />As ever I would like to thanks Almas and the very hardworking Ladakhi team for doing a great job on another successful Ladakh Sky Trail GHT. Almas will be back in Ladakh again next summer leading our 2018 Ladakh Sky Trail and this trek is now already guaranteed to run. <br /><br />Please get in touch soon if you are interested in joining our <a href="http://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/india/walking-and-trekking/ladakh-skytrail-ght/">Ladakh Sky Trail GHT</a> or if you have any questions on this trek.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Roland Hunter</b></div><div><b><a href="http://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/">www.themountaincompany.co.uk</a></b></div></div></div>www.themountaincompany.co.ukhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02641924774255965252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1286989939445837912.post-48773854666575135212017-08-16T22:40:00.000+01:002017-08-18T18:26:22.038+01:00Trip report for K2 Base Camp & Gondogoro in Pakistan during July/ August 2017 <div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PTjXVw7hKZ0/SL_ysdgVnCI/AAAAAAAAACo/lKB7KgXvMAI2wlJE19oLRh30GNM9ArXAwCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/K2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PTjXVw7hKZ0/SL_ysdgVnCI/AAAAAAAAACo/lKB7KgXvMAI2wlJE19oLRh30GNM9ArXAwCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/K2.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: K2, second highest mountain in the world, in Pakistan</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Like in 2016, this year we also decided to run two treks to K2 Base Camp in Pakistan at the same time: our <a href="http://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/pakistan/walking-and-trekking/k2-base-camp/">K2 Base Camp &amp; Concordia</a> and our <a href="http://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/pakistan/walking-and-trekking/k2-and-gondogoro-la/">K2 Base Camp &amp; Gondogoro La</a>. The plan was for both groups to walk together to K2 Base Camp then one group would return back down Baltoro and the second group from Concordia would follow Vigne glacier and ascend over the Gondogoro La pass to Hushe village. After the trek both groups were scheduled to meet back up again in Skardu then travel together back to Islamabad. These K2 Base Camp treks were led by Chris Horobin and supported by Pakistan guides Zahid and Manzoor.</div><div><br />In 2017 we started our K2 Base Camp treks 10 days earlier than in 2016 as we felt the weather tends to be better in July given the poor conditions experienced by our 2016 group. Clearly the weather in Karakoram varies year to year however our 2017 K2 Base Camp groups were lucky to experience excellent weather with fine views of the mountains and good conditions for crossing Gondogoro la high pass. Chris summarised the weather in his post trip report as follows “<i>Excellent, hot, generally sunny (a couple of overcast days), no rain. Could not have been better really.”</i><br /><br />Our K2 Base Camp groups arrived to Islamabad on July 22nd and took the Pakistan International Airways ("PIA") flight as scheduled to Skardu on 23rd. In the past the PIA flight to Skardu has been unreliable and if cancelled then the group has to undertake a two day bus drive along the Karakoram Highway (“KKH”). However as mentioned in our <a href="http://themountaincompany.blogspot.co.uk/2016/10/trip-report-for-k2-base-camp-treks-la.html">trip report for 2016 K2 Base Camp treks</a>&nbsp;the flight to Skardu has become more reliable over last few years as there are more planes flying the route from Islamabad to Skardu so the chances of having to drive KKH are reduced (although of course still possible).<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-764mbXN92o8/SL_2pWtGN8I/AAAAAAAAADg/g4fn7Mj5ArwqKWkxuwa6brDjS9tlCCwxwCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/IMGP3705.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-764mbXN92o8/SL_2pWtGN8I/AAAAAAAAADg/g4fn7Mj5ArwqKWkxuwa6brDjS9tlCCwxwCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/IMGP3705.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Gilkey memorial near K2 Base Camp</td></tr></tbody></table>The other advantage of flying to Skardu rather than driving KKH is that the group has two nights at the hotel in Skardu before the drive to Askole where the trek starts from. This means the group had the day of July 24th to relax and explore Skardu town, this also gives time for our leaders to do last minute checks and organisation before heading off.<br /><br />For 2017 we made changes with the hotels used for our K2 Base Camp treks, in Islamabad we now use Hotel Hillview as this is higher standard than Chancery Guesthouse used in previous years. In Skardu we have been using K2 Motel for many years in fact since my first visit to Pakistan in 2005 when I organised an expedition to climb Broad Peak. Over the last few years we received some poor feedback on K2 Motel and so for 2017 we switched to Concordia Motel. The feedback from the group on both Hotel Hillview and Concordia Motel has so far been positive so we plan to use again for 2018 treks.<br /><br />On July 25th the group drove in local jeeps along the rough and exposed jeep track to the roadhead at the village of Askole. On July 26th they started their trek following the fast flowing Braldu river. We have carefully designed our K2 Base Camp itinerary for gradual acclimatisation and unlike most other companies we decide not have two nights in Paiju (3,383m) as this is too low to benefit from acclimatisation. Instead we continue onto Urdukas camp (4,130m) where we have two nights as this more beneficial at this altitude and also the views from this camp over to Trango Towers are spectacular!</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KG0eLs5IZYA/WZR0Z1WFf-I/AAAAAAAADQ4/oOkbjauTjHsTUxYhDLuDeZATTnMtO-cHgCLcBGAs/s1600/K2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="263" data-original-width="350" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KG0eLs5IZYA/WZR0Z1WFf-I/AAAAAAAADQ4/oOkbjauTjHsTUxYhDLuDeZATTnMtO-cHgCLcBGAs/s320/K2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Choire's tent with view of K2 (credit: Choire Horobin)</td></tr></tbody></table><div>At The Mountain Company we have a procedure where we carefully vet and screen all applications to ensure the trip is an appropriate objective for that person and we are especially careful for treks in Pakistan. There are a number of factors that make treks in Pakistan more challenging than in other Himalayan trekking destinations such as Nepal or Bhutan including the very hot weather conditions, a very rough jeep ride along an exposed track between Skardu and Askole, rugged trails along loose &amp; rocky moraine while on Baltoro glacier, the risk of rockfall and landslides, no villages with facilities after Askole and river crossings as often there are no bridges etc etc.<br /><br />The other consideration is the difficulty of getting helicopters for medical evacuation. It is worth pointing out that unlike Nepal there are no commercial helicopter operators in Pakistan instead we have to rely on the use of army helicopters. Many people have got used in Nepal to having quick and efficient evacuations by helicopter. Whereas in Pakistan for serious medical situations it is possible to arrange helicopter evacuations however this process takes longer, it is not straightforward and also depends on availability of helicopters. For example if helicopters are busy on training exercises or other military commitments then it may take longer to arrange and the protocol in Pakistan is for helicopters to always fly in pairs. Therefore if this is a non urgent medical evacuation the most likely mode of extraction is by horse and this is not a very comfortable ride!<br /><br />Our leader Chris comments on his group’s experience for K2 Base Camp trek as follows:<br /><i><br />“Overall I would sum it up by advising that of this group most thoroughly “enjoyed” it but thought it was the hardest thing they had ever done. K2 Base Camp remains a very challenging expedition and whilst no one advised that they had been ill advised prior to the expedition it is important that the Mountain Company keep its vigorous vetting procedure as to previous experience and fitness levels required. It is a mix of heat, difficult terrain, dirt and dust, altitude that wears people down and this should not be underestimated. Whilst the Gondogoro La section of the trip has now been equipped with new ropes the decent is still dangerous, steep and loose and requires a mix of rope skills to be safely undertaken.”</i><br /><i><br /></i><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WtjPeSJEsjI/SL_y-_ujyQI/AAAAAAAAAC4/mMoTHO5CJRUPgZG6wWLI43hO7fAS6rxpgCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/IMGP2818.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WtjPeSJEsjI/SL_y-_ujyQI/AAAAAAAAAC4/mMoTHO5CJRUPgZG6wWLI43hO7fAS6rxpgCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/IMGP2818.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: climbing up Gondogoro La</td></tr></tbody></table>On August 3rd the group successfully walked up to K2 Base Camp and Gilkey memorial then after sleeping a night at Broad Peak Base Camp on evening of 3rd they awoke to glorious views of the majestic K2 mountain. After breakfast the group walked back down to Concordia and after group discussions the decision was made by Chris for the Gondogoro La group to head to Ali Camp towards the pass. As planned on August these two groups split with Chris and Zahid leading their group over Gondogoro La and Manzoor leading the K2 Base Camp group back down the Baltoro glacier to Askole.<br /><br />Well done to both groups for achieving their objectives with the Gondogoro La group successfully crossing this technical high pass 5,500m+ and for K2 Base Camp group for walking up to Gilkey memorial and to the Base Camp for second highest mountain in the world. Both of our K2 Base Camp groups arrived safely back to Skardu on August 10th and then flew back to Islamabad on 11th.<br /><br />It is important that people who sign up for K2 Base Camp trek understand the risks involved and are prepared and ready to accept these uncertainties. For many people who have successfully trekked to Everest Base Camp in Nepal they will find K2 Base Camp a far more challenging objective. Having said this the feedback from the seven K2 Base Camp groups organised by The Mountain Company since 2008 has been very positive. I think this trek is rightly included in Lonely Planet's article <a href="https://www.lonelyplanet.com/travel-tips-and-articles/the-10-best-treks-in-the-world/40625c8c-8a11-5710-a052-1479d2773de3">The 10 Best Treks in the World</a>.<br /><br />The mountain scenery on K2 Base Camp trek has no doubt some of the best views anywhere in the world with a series of impressive mountains getting progressively larger as one ascends Baltoro and Godwin Austen glaciers towards K2 Base Camp. The crossing of Gondogoro La is a classic high pass with views of Leila Peak from the top and a challenging ascent down loose scree to the lovely grassy camp at Khuspang. The advantage of crossing Gondogoro La pass is that this completes a circuit trek and once over the pass you walk down a new valley to Hushe village.<br /><br />We used SPOT gps tracker for this group, for each night on trek Chris checked in sending a gps signal to us so we could track this group's progress ---&gt; <a href="https://www.findmespot.com/spotadventures/index.php/view_adventure?tripid=351095">K2 Base Camp GPS map</a><br /><br />Thanks very much to Chris, Zahid and Manzoor plus the rest of the Pakistan team for their hard work in leading this trek.<br /><br />The Mountain Company is promoting both our <a href="http://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/pakistan/walking-and-trekking/k2-base-camp/">K2 Base Camp &amp; Concordia</a> and <a href="http://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/pakistan/walking-and-trekking/k2-and-gondogoro-la/">K2 Base Camp &amp; Gondogoro La</a> for July 2018.<br /><br />Please get in touch with us if you have any questions on K2 Base Camp trek and if you would like to discuss your suitability or additional training required to join this trek in the future.<br /><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Roland Hunter</b></div><div><b>www.themountaincompany.co.uk</b></div></div>www.themountaincompany.co.ukhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02641924774255965252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1286989939445837912.post-81044045819628197792017-06-26T08:34:00.003+01:002018-02-28T18:45:12.209+00:00The Mountain Company pledge and testimonial for AITO Project PROTECT<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4RwuFUo1c-U/WVJXeyFZlPI/AAAAAAAADQI/ZISWbaQoc7cs63asxLZOARekSUhZNF5DgCLcBGAs/s1600/AITO-Project-protect-colour-transparent-tick.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="382" data-original-width="355" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4RwuFUo1c-U/WVJXeyFZlPI/AAAAAAAADQI/ZISWbaQoc7cs63asxLZOARekSUhZNF5DgCLcBGAs/s320/AITO-Project-protect-colour-transparent-tick.png" width="297" /></a></div><br />Earlier this year Association of Independent Tour Operators (AITO) launched Project PROTECT in recognition of the important role that destinations play in the future of the travel industry. The aim of this project is to encourage sustainable tourism and to nurture the destinations for tomorrow's travellers. The PROTECT acronym stands for People / Resources / Outreach / Tourism / Environment / Conservation / Tomorrow.<br /><br />This project is led by Professor Xavier Font of the University of Surrey and each AITO member has to publish an annual pledge and report back at the end of the year on how they got along. For more information take a look at&nbsp;----&gt; <a href="https://www.aito.com/files/press-releases/aito-members-launch-project-protect-to-help-nurture-destinations-for-tomorrow.pdf">AITO Press release</a></div><div><br /></div><div>The Mountain Company pledge is as follows:&nbsp;<b>Collecting at least 120kg of rubbish/ trash in the Himalaya and Karakoram during 2017</b></div><div><br /><i>"Take nothing but pictures. Leave nothing but footprints.” This is part of the Leave No Trace philosophy encouraging people to minimise their environmental impact when exploring the great outdoors. At The Mountain Company we want to go further by picking up rubbish/ trash found along the trekking trails and around the campsites. We have received client feedback that rubbish is a big problem and this unsightly mess has detracted from their holiday experience. By picking up litter this activity will make the environment cleaner and will help to maintain the natural beauty of the Himalaya and Karakoram mountains.<br /><br />In 2017, we will ask each of our groups to pick up at least four sacks of rubbish during their Himalayan trek. Each sack will weigh approximately 1kg so each group will have a target of 4kg of rubbish to collect. During 2017 our thirty groups travelling to Nepal, Pakistan, Bhutan and India will therefore pick up a total of at least 120kg of litter.<br /><br /> Our guides and trekkers will work together to collect rubbish and this will develop camaderie and teamwork. The group will feel good about helping to make a difference. Our groups will talk to others to explain what they are doing aiming to inspire more trekkers to pick up rubbish too. By working together with our customers The Mountain Company wants to improve the environment of our destinations to help more people to enjoy these places in the future.</i><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; orphans: 2; padding: 6px; text-align: center; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-k7W6oeXPr60/WVC1WO9BxjI/AAAAAAAADPs/_Cpu3a-uK_cw3SwgzKeCmJsFMbvk0PjaQCLcBGAs/s1600/P1200228med.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-k7W6oeXPr60/WVC1WO9BxjI/AAAAAAAADPs/_Cpu3a-uK_cw3SwgzKeCmJsFMbvk0PjaQCLcBGAs/s320/P1200228med.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></div></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;">Photo: Pasang Sherpa collecting rubbish in Everest region</div></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div>We will be in touch with our clients in due course to explain how we plan to go about meeting our pledge and how they can help if they would like to do so.<br /><br /><b>*Update January 2018* Our testimonial to explain how we got along and the final outcome of our 2017 Project Protect</b><br /><br />The Mountain Company would like to thank our guides and trekkers for enthusiastically embracing our AITO Project Protect pledge to help make the environment in the Himalaya and Karakoram cleaner. Our local crew members believe that the mountains are the Abode of The Gods and therefore our efforts were aligned with their religion and culture. Our initial pledge was to remove 120kg of rubbish, and this was exceeded with over 350kg removed by 64 of our trekkers from trails and camp sites in Nepal, Bhutan and India during 2017. <br /><br />We provided our groups with rubbish bags, gloves and tongs for picking up rubbish, and electronic scales to measure progress. The feedback from our trekkers was very positive; as one person commented “Love your green initiative and practices to ensure minimal impact on the environment.” As well as physically removing rubbish, our intention was to start the process of changing the attitude among other trekking groups and locals to encourage them to reduce their environmental impact too. Our actions initiated discussions among other trekking groups and some of them were inspired to follow our lead and pick up rubbish too. This multiplied the impact of our pledge.<br /><br />A lot was learnt about collecting rubbish in our trek areas. For example, in comparison to other areas, Sagarmatha (Everest) National Park in Nepal has the best infrastructure for collection, with a network of bins organised and emptied regularly and an incinerator in Namche Bazaar. In spite of this, there was still a significant amount of rubbish strewn about in the park. Our Everest region groups picked up 98kg, 28% of the total collected. Further efforts are required to encourage people to use the bins provided.<br /><br />In practice we made a relatively small step in the right direction however there is much more to be done to promote the philosophy of leaving no trace (“Take nothing but pictures. Leave nothing but footprints”) in the Himalaya and Karakoram. To address this problem and to make long term change will require further input from trekking operators, national parks, tourist boards and associations in these countries.<br /><br /></div><div><b>Roland Hunter</b></div><div><b><a href="http://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/">www.themountaincompany.co.uk</a></b></div>www.themountaincompany.co.ukhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02641924774255965252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1286989939445837912.post-48853341427777892182017-06-06T15:02:00.003+01:002017-06-14T08:28:16.552+01:00Trip report for Upper Dolpo to Jomsom GHT (Nepal) in May 2017 led by Jo Clark (UK) and Chandra Rai (Nepal)<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Ao29XH0xsjw/WTawWhr6fSI/AAAAAAAADMw/XsQ1iwhifVwmJebHLiLXJ5CNW4LqcWHXgCLcB/s1600/P1010451.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Ao29XH0xsjw/WTawWhr6fSI/AAAAAAAADMw/XsQ1iwhifVwmJebHLiLXJ5CNW4LqcWHXgCLcB/s1600/P1010451.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: crossing Sangda La pass (5,100m) into Kali Gandaki</td></tr></tbody></table>In May 2017 we organised our fourth successful <a href="http://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/nepal/walking-and-trekking/upper-dolpo-to-jomsom/">Upper Dolpo to Jomsom GHT</a> trek along The Great Himalaya Trail in Nepal. This year we had twelve trekkers in the group and there was a mix of nationalities with people coming from Australia, UK, Germany, Denmark and Canada. This group was led by <a href="http://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/about-the-mountain-company/our-leaders/jo-clark/">Jo Clark (UK)</a>, <a href="http://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/about-the-mountain-company/our-local-leaders/chandra-rai/">Chandra Rai (Nepal)</a> and <a href="http://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/about-the-mountain-company/our-local-leaders/biswo-rai/">Bishwo Rai (Nepal)</a>.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-40Idlti3vQw/WT6P5BcJm9I/AAAAAAAADPQ/7-nH1q0fJmMXm0KOjFsyUdocHoxpWyRfACLcB/s1600/Dolpo%2Bgroup%2B2017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="180" data-original-width="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-40Idlti3vQw/WT6P5BcJm9I/AAAAAAAADPQ/7-nH1q0fJmMXm0KOjFsyUdocHoxpWyRfACLcB/s1600/Dolpo%2Bgroup%2B2017.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: our Upper Dolpo May 2017 group (credit: Paul Carroll)</td></tr></tbody></table>To find out how our previous Upper Dolpo treks got along <a href="http://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/nepal/walking-and-trekking/upper-dolpo-to-jomsom/report/">please take a look at Trip Reports for Upper Dolpo to Jomsom GHT</a><br /><div><br />Like in previous years, at the start of the trek we chartered a Twin Otter plane from Tara Air for the flight from Pokhara to Juphal rather than flying in from Nepalganj further to the west of Nepal. Luckily this group's flights operated on time and landed safely at Juphal STOL airstrip on May 8th and then walked to Dunai for the first night's camping. It is worth pointing out that Juphal STOL was a grass airstrip however currently (i.e June 2017) is having construction work to black top the runway and this should help improve the reliability &amp; safety of operations at this airstrip in the future.<br /><br />As a result of the improvements at Juphal airstrip and better hotels now available in Nepalganj such as Hotel Siddhartha (and Soaltee Western Premium opening in September 2017) we plan to fly via Nepalganj for our Dolpo treks in 2018. There are also more planes available in Nepalganj including L410 turbo prop aircraft, these are more powerful with higher carrying capacity of passengers. If we are able to use these planes in the future the key advantage for us is that we can also fly in some cargo including more fresh vegetables. The other consideration is the cost of a private charter plane from Pokhara to Juphal, this is very expensive and increased in 2018 by 10% to US$5,500.<br /><br />It is worth pointing out that we introduced a new innovation in 2017 by bringing dehydrated vegetables for provisions on all of our camping treks in Nepal. There is a lack of fresh of vegetables to purchase locally in Upper Dolpo region especially during the Spring season and also for this itinerary we are unable to provide a food resupply during the trek. Therefore the only way to provide vegetables throughout the trek is by dehydrating beforehand in Kathmandu. In March 2017 we transported a US made vegetable dehydrator machine and vacuum sealer over to Kathmandu. After training our local office in Kathmandu on these methods we are now producing large quantities of carrots, beans, broccoli, courgette (zucchini), onions, mushrooms pumpkin etc to supply our camping treks.<br /><br />Using dehydrated vegetables worked very well for our Upper Dolpo 2017 trek and we receive excellent feedback from the group on the quality of the food throughout this trek. The method of dehydrating food is also environmentally friendly as we do not need to bring canned vegetables. As far as we know The Mountain Company is the only operator in Nepal with our own production line for dehydrating vegetables. We are planning to roll this out to our office in Bhutan in July 2017 for the Autumn trekking season.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ubB4XmducEk/WT5dQ33_wLI/AAAAAAAADO0/sJj8vbbqfJQZwfyd_grr4iOAX7-gPpzLwCLcB/s1600/Veg%2Bdehydrator.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="180" data-original-width="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ubB4XmducEk/WT5dQ33_wLI/AAAAAAAADO0/sJj8vbbqfJQZwfyd_grr4iOAX7-gPpzLwCLcB/s1600/Veg%2Bdehydrator.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: vegetable dehydrator machine with vacuum sealer</td></tr></tbody></table>Our Upper Dolpo to Jomsom GHT group followed a trail near the Suli Gad River for the next three days flowing down from Phoksumdo Lake. On May 11th the group walked through Ringmo village and onto their campsite on the shores of the stunningly beautiful Phoksumdo Lake.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BeUmW5kRqMg/S_rYIfQbBfI/AAAAAAAABF0/ygQRqob_WbsYLy1O9fV-NI5ioon1bVf8ACPcB/s1600/Phoksumdo1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BeUmW5kRqMg/S_rYIfQbBfI/AAAAAAAABF0/ygQRqob_WbsYLy1O9fV-NI5ioon1bVf8ACPcB/s1600/Phoksumdo1.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Phoksumdo Lake</td></tr></tbody></table><div>On May 13th the group followed the western side of Phoksumdo Lake along a narrow cliff trail, this is the ‘Devil’s trail’ followed by Thinle in Eric Valli’s film “Himalaya”. The narrow path ascends to a ridge with spectacular views over the turquoise lake to Ringmo village and the peaks of Kanjiroba (6,612m), Norbung Kang (6,085) and Jhyarko Dingla (5,892m). From Phoksumdo Lake North Camp the group starts making the ascent to the first high pass of the trek called Kang La.<br /><br />There is a lot of wildlife and birds in Upper Dolpo, in previous years our groups were very lucky and saw the elusive snow leopard on several occasions. This year they saw the scat of large cat and this was most likely from a snow leopard. Many herds of blue sheep were seen as these animals are their favourite prey this indicates there is sufficient food to maintain a healthy population of snow leopards in Upper Dolpo.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ylGr4L-YJMs/WT1CskJgxkI/AAAAAAAADOM/W1z2hFnAim0Bq88BspihLwccBDgn5wbaQCLcB/s1600/Blue%2Bsheep.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="215" data-original-width="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ylGr4L-YJMs/WT1CskJgxkI/AAAAAAAADOM/W1z2hFnAim0Bq88BspihLwccBDgn5wbaQCLcB/s1600/Blue%2Bsheep.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: blue sheep in Upper Dolpo (credit: Neil Piercy)</td></tr></tbody></table>Of interest this year was the Tibetan wolf seen on top of a ridge while the group were having lunch by a river after Shey----&gt; <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tibetan_wolf">for more information on Tibetan wolf have a look at Wikipedia page</a>. Other animals seen include stone marten, marmots (lots!), foxes and a jackal.<br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HYnqMMwVvnA/WTmO65MYsgI/AAAAAAAADNc/bwofSEl0q5sXTgOS09uTHRO3i0mxciqGQCLcB/s1600/Tibetan%2Bwolf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="227" data-original-width="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HYnqMMwVvnA/WTmO65MYsgI/AAAAAAAADNc/bwofSEl0q5sXTgOS09uTHRO3i0mxciqGQCLcB/s1600/Tibetan%2Bwolf.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Tibetan wolf in Upper Dolpo (credit: Paul Carroll)</td></tr></tbody></table><div>We had some keen birders in our Upper Dolpo group this year and the list of birds seen is as follows: Lammergeier, Himalayan Griffin, hill pigeon, Yellow Billed Chough, Common Redstart, Tree Sparrow, Long Tailed Shrike, White Winged Grosbeak, Plumbeous Water Redstart, Orange Flanked Bush Robin, Robin Accentor and Cattle Egret.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KgUi_HJPVd0/WT1FYh1vm4I/AAAAAAAADOU/Ge-m5eVH6hsSxlQdSr5LA-EeiAmRok3VgCLcB/s1600/White%2Bwinged%2Bgrosbeak.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="212" data-original-width="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KgUi_HJPVd0/WT1FYh1vm4I/AAAAAAAADOU/Ge-m5eVH6hsSxlQdSr5LA-EeiAmRok3VgCLcB/s1600/White%2Bwinged%2Bgrosbeak.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: White Winged Grosbeak (credit: Paul Carroll)</td></tr></tbody></table>The weather in Nepal throughout this Spring season has been rather unstable with large amounts of precipitation due to a low pressure system impacting the Nepal Himalaya. Luckily our Dhaulagiri Circuit in April were in the early stages of their trek during the heaviest precipitation. As described in our <a href="http://themountaincompany.blogspot.co.uk/2017/05/trip-report-for-dhaulagiri-circuit-led.html">Trip Report for our April 2017 Dhaulagiri Circuit group</a> there was more snow than usual on the French and Dhampus Passes however this group was able to successfully make the full traverse to Jomsom. Therefore I was quite confident that our Upper Dolpo to Jomsom GHT group would be able to cross the passes however we were expecting to encounter more snow than in previous years.<br /><br />On May 14th our Upper Dolpo group walked up to Lar Tsa camp however on the next day they were unable to continue onto Snowfield’s Camp due to large amounts of snow on the trail. Luckily our guides have deep experience and knowledge of the Upper Dolpo region and knew about another pass we call “Pass B” known as Nando La that due to its aspect and topography tends to retain less snow than Kang La. Therefore the group descended back towards Phoksumdo Lake and followed a different valley to a high camp then successfully crossed the Nando La pass over to Shey on May 17th. On May 18th the group and crew had a well-deserved rest day exploring Shey and visiting the Bonpo monastery down the valley.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9PStGPkvPc8/WT1GuZ6nKRI/AAAAAAAADOc/CShi5KNeVHg5jZF7xCxbKuNBEmPqx9nxwCLcB/s1600/Nango%2BLa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="214" data-original-width="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9PStGPkvPc8/WT1GuZ6nKRI/AAAAAAAADOc/CShi5KNeVHg5jZF7xCxbKuNBEmPqx9nxwCLcB/s1600/Nango%2BLa.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: view from Nando La (credit: Neil Piercy)</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_qiO6hmi0cQ/WT1Ht5fMhTI/AAAAAAAADOk/0eY40LqCP-QDU-IQdqMvRaHCqxx19OTLQCLcB/s1600/Lama%2Bat%2BShey.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="213" data-original-width="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_qiO6hmi0cQ/WT1Ht5fMhTI/AAAAAAAADOk/0eY40LqCP-QDU-IQdqMvRaHCqxx19OTLQCLcB/s1600/Lama%2Bat%2BShey.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: lama at Shey gompa (credit: Neil Piercy)</td></tr></tbody></table>Throughout the trek as this group traversed east through Upper Dolpo region there was very little snow and no issues were encountered on crossing the rest of the high passes. The highest pass Sangda La at 5,100m is known as the crux for groups doing this trek in Autumn season as this is the exit pass out to the Kali Gandaki valley. Sangda La can be snowy and icey however by the time our group arrived crossed on May 29th there was no snow on the summit of the pass so our group was able walked out Jomsom arriving as planned on June 1st.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vZNc7Ai5wks/V2AEkaIftGI/AAAAAAAADEk/flQ_4_wDjuE9jwzv5dPC3__YfUMWkqIHgCPcB/s1600/SaldangLa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vZNc7Ai5wks/V2AEkaIftGI/AAAAAAAADEk/flQ_4_wDjuE9jwzv5dPC3__YfUMWkqIHgCPcB/s1600/SaldangLa.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Photo: crossing Saldang La</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qYKw0uhncnY/V1_9-E7MiTI/AAAAAAAADDo/BlKmiTuA2A4RY3WAfBZkbVbHBgcVqONYQCPcB/s1600/ViewMuriLa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qYKw0uhncnY/V1_9-E7MiTI/AAAAAAAADDo/BlKmiTuA2A4RY3WAfBZkbVbHBgcVqONYQCPcB/s1600/ViewMuriLa.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: view from Muri La</td></tr></tbody></table>The group flew out of Jomsom on June 2nd and after a second breakfast at one of the restaurants in Pokhara Lakeside they flew onwards to Kathmandu in early afternoon. That evening I heard everyone in the group enjoyed a meal at K Too steakhouse to celebrate completing this epic journey through one of the most remote regions of the Nepal Himalaya.</div><div><br />Overall this group had fine weather and only two or three days afternoons with cloud and trace precipitation. Throughout this expedition we received weather forecasts from Michael Fagin at <a href="http://everestweather.com/">everestweather.com</a> and we sent these onto Jo on the satellite phone. Having professional weather forecasts is essential for safety in crossing high passes and for our leaders to make decisions in the field. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-36Izu9Vvfz4/VlbANFr9WZI/AAAAAAAAC-Q/ZHMxg6cCLiwu0T5yc7HcbI8kAn83-AC7wCPcB/s1600/EverestWeather.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="93" data-original-width="750" height="39" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-36Izu9Vvfz4/VlbANFr9WZI/AAAAAAAAC-Q/ZHMxg6cCLiwu0T5yc7HcbI8kAn83-AC7wCPcB/s320/EverestWeather.gif" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br />We used a GPS spot tracker for this group and for each night on trek Jo checked in sending a gps signal to us so we could track this group's progress ----&gt; <a href="https://www.findmespot.com/spotadventures/index.php/view_adventure?tripid=348969">click here to see GPS map for our 2017 Upper Dolpo to Jomsom GHT</a><br /><br />Congratulations and well done to this group for making the full traverse from Juphal to Jomsom along a section of The Great Himalaya. I would like to say a big thanks to Jo, Chandra, Bishwo and the rest of the crew for their hard work leading this trek.<br /><br />We have received positive feedback from this group and <a href="https://www.aito.com/the-mountain-company/reviews/1">please see AITO website for the reviews</a>. I have copied Neil's feedback below:<br /><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><i>"I have regularly trekked with The Mountain Company, the itineraries are very well planned, the treks are extremely well led both with Western Leadership and local Sirdar and Guides. This trek in particular there was an excellent relationship and engagement between all the crew and trekkers.&nbsp;It's great to see that as much care is taken regarding the health and well being of the crew on the trek as the clients. The trek leaders have access to high quality weather forecasts and satellite communication. Very well managed trek.</i></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><i>This was an amazing trek in the remote region of Upper Dolpo, trekking through an area strongly influenced with Tibetan culture. The scenery is spectacular trekking through beautiful gorges - never far from a pounding river, staying alongside wonderful villages e.g. Ringmo, Shey and Tinje and spending time alongside side the turquoise blue lake of Phoksumdo.&nbsp; There is challenge too ... regularly crossing spectacular passes with mountain vistas. The schedule is well planned with additional days to acclimatise, plenty of good food to provide us with the energy to complete the trek and enjoy the area." <b>Neil, Upper Dolpo May 2018</b></i><o:p></o:p></div><br />Due to high demand for our <a href="http://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/nepal/walking-and-trekking/upper-dolpo-to-jomsom/">Upper Dolpo to Jomsom GHT</a> trek we have decided to organise two departures in 2018, first one will be in May/ June and second one in October. We already have enough people interested to guarantee to run our May departure and there is strong interest in October one too. I suggest you get in touch to register your interest soon if you are considering one of these treks in 2018.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Roland Hunter</b></div><div><b><a href="http://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/">www.themountaincompany.co.uk</a></b><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ivY2Vbukz_Q/WTa-IJ2r-tI/AAAAAAAADNE/m11iWJOKsi4vK-vxHH8eXbCgJMThwi9dQCLcB/s1600/AITO%2BToperator%2B15%2BBronze%2BMC%2Bsmall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="548" data-original-width="550" height="318" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ivY2Vbukz_Q/WTa-IJ2r-tI/AAAAAAAADNE/m11iWJOKsi4vK-vxHH8eXbCgJMThwi9dQCLcB/s320/AITO%2BToperator%2B15%2BBronze%2BMC%2Bsmall.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /></div>www.themountaincompany.co.ukhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02641924774255965252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1286989939445837912.post-40774457826252001022017-05-25T07:39:00.002+01:002017-05-25T07:44:55.283+01:00Trip report for Dhaulagiri Circuit led by Ade Summers and Chandra Rai in April 2017<div class="MsoNormal"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oY48XzOGGw4/Tyf1SHRXiVI/AAAAAAAAB3E/Ez5bQunUTHktucElwujS4qAILCC-qyeVwCPcB/s1600/Dhaulagiri3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oY48XzOGGw4/Tyf1SHRXiVI/AAAAAAAAB3E/Ez5bQunUTHktucElwujS4qAILCC-qyeVwCPcB/s1600/Dhaulagiri3.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Photo: crossing French Pass with Mt Dhaulagiri behind</td></tr></tbody></table>In April we organised our 14th group trek around&nbsp;<a href="http://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/nepal/walking-and-trekking/dhaulagiri-circuit/">Dhaulagiri Circuit</a>. Our leaders were&nbsp;<a href="http://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/about-the-mountain-company/our-leaders/adrian-summers/">Ade Summers</a>&nbsp;(UK &amp; Australia) and&nbsp;<a href="http://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/about-the-mountain-company/our-local-leaders/chandra-rai/">Chandra Rai</a>&nbsp;(Nepal) and the Sherpa guides supporting the group were Mhin and Bhim. We had six people in this group and like in previous years this group was an international mix with people coming from Switzerland, USA and UK.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />The group arrived to Kathmandu on April 16th and we organised the group briefing for late afternoon. We made one change with our Dhaulagiri Circuit itinerary compared to previous years &nbsp;as we have extended by one day so the trip is now 21 days from arrival to Kathmandu. In previous years on Day 2 we flew from Kathmandu to Pokhara, drove to Beni and then trekked to first night's camp at Babuchur. This was too long especially if there were any delays in flying to Pokhara and quite often the group would arrive to Babuchur after dark therefore we now include one night in Pokhara before starting the trek. The feedback from the leaders and the group has been positive with this change in itinerary so we will keep this in place for our future Dhaulagiri Circuit groups.<br /><br />The trek went well and the group arrived to Italian Base Camp as planned on April 24th. On April 30th the group crossed French Col into Hidden Valley. However the weather throughout the trek was quite rainy and there was deep snow higher up making the days crossing French and Dhampus passes more challenging for the group and crew. The weather this Spring throughout Nepal has been unsettled with more precipitation than in previous years. On May 2nd the group crossed Dhampus Pass with superb views of Annapurna South and Nilgiris and made good progress to camp at Alu Bari for the night.<br /><br />Throughout this expedition we received weather forecasts from Michael Fagin at&nbsp;<a href="http://everestweather.com/">everestweather.com</a>&nbsp;and we sent these onto Ade by text to his satellite phone. Having professional weather forecasts is essential for safety in crossing high passes and for decision making in the field.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5YfQsumH09E/WB34TwSU2cI/AAAAAAAADKc/JZAy30DjI4s8sHWFlg_OCEkyCRuS7xKvACLcB/s1600/EverestWeather.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5YfQsumH09E/WB34TwSU2cI/AAAAAAAADKc/JZAy30DjI4s8sHWFlg_OCEkyCRuS7xKvACLcB/s1600/EverestWeather.gif" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">We have carefully designed our Dhaulagiri Circuit for acclimatisation and our groups have two nights at Italian Base Camp at 3,660m followed by two nights at Glacier Camp at 4,200m then a further two nights at Dhaulagiri Base Camp at 4,700m. Only with this ascent profile will you have enough time for your body to adapt to the high altitude for safe crossing of the high passes and for sleeping in Hidden Valley at 5,050m.<br /><br />As with all of TMC camping treks we track their progress while in the field through SPOT gps check ins,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.findmespot.com/spotadventures/index.php/view_adventure?tripid=348797">you can see the map of this trek in SPOT Adventure website</a><br /><br />Congratulations to the group for completing Dhaulagiri Circuit. I would like thank Ade and Chandra plus the rest of the team for their help and hard work.<br /><br />The feedback from the group has been very positive and everyone had a good time. I have copied several member’s feedback from <a href="https://www.aito.com/the-mountain-company/reviews/1">AITO.com website</a> below:<br /><br /><i>"I had an excellent experience with The Mountain Company---Top Notch" Melvin</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i><br /></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>"The Mountain Company organised everything to a tee. We never had to worry about anything as everything was taken care of giving us the time and space to enjoy Nepal." &nbsp;Mat<br /><br />"The whole trip was well planned,organised and executed by The Mountain Company. The Mountain Company works to very high standards and achieves them, whilst being sensitive to the fragile environment in which it operates and respectful of the local peoples.&nbsp;From the off, the level of communication and personal advice offered is detailed, considered and personally tailored. Very impressive personal service.&nbsp;It is pleasing that customer feedback is listened to, then, where appropriate, put into action to enhance the next treks experiences.&nbsp;Well done and I hope to trek with you again in the near future." Paula</i><br /><i><br /></i>The Mountain Company organises&nbsp;<a href="http://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/nepal/walking-and-trekking/dhaulagiri-circuit/">Dhaulagiri Circuit trek and Dhampus Peak</a>&nbsp;expedition&nbsp;twice a year in April and October. Our Dhaulagiri Circuit group in October 2017 is now guaranteed to run so please get in touch soon if you like to join this group.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Trek on!<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Roland Hunter</b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><a href="http://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/">www.themountaincompany.co.uk</a></b></div>www.themountaincompany.co.ukhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02641924774255965252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1286989939445837912.post-74425098993124788512016-12-27T13:49:00.000+00:002018-01-01T15:11:35.133+00:00The Mountain Company 16 point difference | Why you should choose us to organise your holiday in the Himalaya or Karakoram<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dgsaqq3cIbM/WGJqqVzaxLI/AAAAAAAADLk/iNSSNDIIyGEktFBqpjTP1nIyjw2b0y6JQCLcB/s1600/AITO%2BToperator%2B15%2BBronze%2BMC%2Bmedium.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="318" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dgsaqq3cIbM/WGJqqVzaxLI/AAAAAAAADLk/iNSSNDIIyGEktFBqpjTP1nIyjw2b0y6JQCLcB/s320/AITO%2BToperator%2B15%2BBronze%2BMC%2Bmedium.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">The Mountain Company is an award winning operator</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>With so many rival trekking operators out there to choose from, it is worth highlighting the main reasons why we think you should choose us to organise your holiday in the Himalaya or Karakoram. &nbsp;<b>The Mountain Company 16 point difference </b>is as follows:<br /><br />1. The Mountain Company (TMC) is an independently owned niche operator with a strong track record and deep experience of our destinations, whilst still being small enough to offer a good old fashioned friendly and personal service. The Mountain Company is proud to be a member of the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.aito.com/the-mountain-company">Association of Independent Tour Operators (“AITO”)</a>.<br /><br />2. TMC is an ATOL licenced operator located in the UK. We are fully insured with combined public and product liability up to GBP5 million&nbsp;and hold professional indemnity insurance up to GBP1 million.<br /><br />3. We provide comprehensive pre trip information to help you prepare for your holiday. This advice will come from our team who has first-hand knowledge and experience of the trip you are interested in joining.<br /><br />4. We organise treks to Everest and Annapurna regions of Nepal, however we also enjoy organising treks to the most remote regions of the Himalaya. Many of these, such as&nbsp;<a href="http://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/nepal/walking-and-trekking/upper-dolpo-to-jomsom/">Upper Dolpo to Jomsom</a>,&nbsp;<a href="http://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/nepal/mountaineering/makalu-base-camp-to-everest/">Makalu to Everest over Sherpani Pass and West Col</a>,&nbsp;<a href="http://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/india/walking-and-trekking/ladakh-skytrail-ght/">Ladakh Sky Trail</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="http://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/bhutan/walking-and-trekking/lunana-snowman/">Lunana Snowman</a>,&nbsp;are along The Great Himalaya Trail (GHT) where you are unlikely to see many other trekking groups.<br /><br />5. Through our online pre-trip application,&nbsp;we carefully screen everyone applying to join our groups. By asking about your outdoor experience, fitness level and medical conditions we hope to ensure you have an enjoyable and successful trip suited to your ambitions and capabilities.<br /><br />6. Our treks are tried and tested and since TMC was set up in 2004 our groups have had excellent success rates of completing their objectives, such as reaching&nbsp;<a href="http://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/nepal/walking-and-trekking/everest-base-camp/">Everest Base Camp</a>&nbsp;or crossing high passes on the classic camping treks like&nbsp;<a href="http://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/nepal/walking-and-trekking/dhaulagiri-circuit/">Dhaulagiri Circuit</a>&nbsp;and <a href="http://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/nepal/walking-and-trekking/kanchenjunga-circuit">Kanchenjunga Circuit</a>. We have 100% success rate in organising the full <a href="http://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/bhutan/walking-and-trekking/lunana-snowman/">Lunana Snowman trek in Bhutan</a> traversing from Paro to Bumthang.<br /><br />7. Our trek itineraries are designed for gradual ascent to allow time for your body to naturally adapt to the high altitude. We never compromise on the number of days within our itineraries in order to sell more holidays!<br /><br />8. Our trips are organised with a high guide to trekker ratio to allow for a range of walking speeds within a group and also, for contingency planning in case a trekker has to turn back due to sickness or other reasons. In Nepal we provide one guide for a group size of two people, two guides for a group size of three people, and three guides for a group of more than six people.<br /><br />9. We send a Thuraya satellite phone on all of our treks in Nepal, Pakistan and Bhutan. We also send a SPOT GPS tracker on camping treks. It is critical for group safety, risk management and contingency planning in an emergency situation, to know the location of and to have reliable communications with our trekking groups in the field.<br /><br />10. We monitor the weather forecasts throughout the season by getting bespoke weather forecasts from&nbsp;<a href="http://everestweather.com/">EverestWeather.com</a>. Having forecasts is important for safety before crossing a high pass or climbing to a summit such as&nbsp;<a href="http://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/nepal/mountaineering/mera-peak-expedition/">Mera Peak</a>&nbsp;or&nbsp;<a href="http://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/nepal/walking-and-trekking/dhaulagiri-circuit/">Dhampus Peak</a>.<br /><br />11. We work with some of the best mountain leaders and guides in the business, with deep knowledge and experience of the Himalaya and Karakoram. Unlike many other operators we still allocate appropriately trained international leaders for more remote and technical trips.&nbsp;<a href="http://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/about-the-mountain-company/our-leaders/">Find out more about TMC leaders here</a><br /><br />12. Within our detailed Trip Dossiers (downloadable from our website), we clearly define what is included in our packages so that you know exactly what to budget for. We go further to provide more within our packages. For example, our lodge based treks in Nepal include breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and biscuits plus two course dinner (soup and main meal) plus up to two cups of hot drinks per meal.<br /><br />13. We have invested in high quality group equipment to support our camping groups in Nepal, such as Mountain Hardwear Trango 3.1 tents. On our camping trips we also provide portable high altitude chambers (known as PAC bags) for the emergency treatment of high altitude illnesses.<br /><br />14. Given the current uncertain economic climate, you are assured that your money paid to us for your holiday is financially secure. Our UK clients will be issued an ATOL certificate backed by the British government. Our international clients will be covered by our financial protection with Association of Bonded Travel Organisers Trust (ABTOT).<br /><br />15. We love what we do and are passionate about organising trips to the Himalaya and Karakoram! We focus on a small number of countries to ensure that we are the specialists for holidays in Nepal, Bhutan, India, Pakistan and Burma (Myanmar).<br /><br />16. TMC head office is based in London, however Roland, our Managing Director, spends up to five months each year based in our destination countries. During 2016, Roland was in Kathmandu, Nepal supporting our groups for two months in Spring and two months in Autumn. He then travelled around Burma for a month in November inspecting tourist destinations and hotels there. <a href="http://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/burma/">Read more about our bespoke trips to Burma here</a>.</div><br />Lastly, do not just take our word for it but please have a look at what our clients say about us on the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.aito.com/the-mountain-company/reviews/1">AITO review website</a>. TMC won the bronze award for AITO Tour Operator of the Year in 2015 based on receiving excellent customer feedback.<br /><div><div><br /></div><div>Please get in touch with us if you would like to find out more about&nbsp;<b>The Mountain Company difference.</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Roland Hunter</b></div><div><b><a href="http://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/">www.themountaincompany.co.uk</a></b></div></div>www.themountaincompany.co.ukhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02641924774255965252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1286989939445837912.post-29946216640245549372016-12-15T15:05:00.001+00:002016-12-15T15:10:51.346+00:00Trip report for Kanchenjunga Circuit trek led by Almas Khan and Jhire Rai in November 2016<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SkiPDMa_Y30/WFKwcEyMxeI/AAAAAAAADLE/h04sf--srUgFy-sE62i6PDO3KtKhuLt2QCLcB/s1600/DSC_2447.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SkiPDMa_Y30/WFKwcEyMxeI/AAAAAAAADLE/h04sf--srUgFy-sE62i6PDO3KtKhuLt2QCLcB/s1600/DSC_2447.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Photo: northside of Mt Kanchenjunga</td></tr></tbody></table>In November, we organised&nbsp;<a href="http://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/nepal/walking-and-trekking/kanchenjunga-circuit/">Kanchenjunga Circuit trek</a>&nbsp;in eastern Nepal and this was our second departure in 2016 -----&gt;&nbsp;<a href="http://themountaincompany.blogspot.co.uk/2016/06/trip-report-for-kanchenjunga-circuit.html">please click here to read our Trip Report for Kanchenjunga Circuit in April</a>. Our November trek was led by Almas Khan and this was his third time leading this classic trek around the world’s third highest mountain. The Nepali sirdar for this group was Jhire Rai who knows Kanchenjunga region very well having completed this trek twelve times before!<br /><br />Almas has had another busy year leading four treks for The Mountain Company; in April he led a group on&nbsp;<a href="http://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/nepal/walking-and-trekking/dhaulagiri-circuit/">Dhaulagiri Circuit</a>; in August/ September he led&nbsp;<a href="http://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/india/walking-and-trekking/ladakh-skytrail-ght/">Ladakh Sky Trail GHT</a>; in September/ October to Bhutan for his seventh&nbsp;<a href="http://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/bhutan/walking-and-trekking/lunana-snowman/">Lunana Snowman trek</a>&nbsp;and then back to Nepal for&nbsp;<a href="http://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/nepal/walking-and-trekking/kanchenjunga-circuit/">Kanchenjunga Circuit</a>. It looks like Almas will be busy again in 2017 with&nbsp;<a href="http://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/bhutan/walking-and-trekking/rodung-la-merak-sakten/">Rodung La with Merak &amp; Sakten</a>&nbsp;in Bhutan during April then Ladakh Sky Trail GHT; Lunana Snowman trek in September/ October and Kanchenjunga Circuit in November.<br /><br />For our November 2016 Kanchenjunga Circuit group we had eight trekkers coming from Canada, Switzerland, Ireland Zealand and USA. The first day of the trip was November 1st and next morning Almas gave his trek briefing on the roof top restaurant at Hotel Tibet and I also attended. On November 3rd the group flew to Bhadrapur in east of Nepal and in afternoon drove up to Ilam for the night.<br /><div><br /></div><div>During the trek this group stuck to the scheduled itinerary walking up as planned to Pangpema at Kanchenjunga northside Base Camp on November 14th and then returned to Ghunsa on the next day. The group head up to High Camp before Mirgin La on 15th then successfully crossed over Mirgin La on 16th arriving to Tseram village in late afternoon.<br /><br />The weather for this group was sunny throughout the trek and this is the normal pattern in Nepalese Himalaya where high pressure system tends to dominate after the monsoon has worked its way out. As discussed in&nbsp;<a href="http://themountaincompany.blogspot.co.uk/2016/11/trip-report-for-dhaulagiri-circuit-led_2.html">Trip Report for our Dhaulagiri Circuit trek in October</a>&nbsp;the monsoon finished late this year in mid October so having our Kanchenjunga Circuit in November works well in terms of weather and conditions. This group had sensational views of the north and southside of Mount Kanchenjunga as well wonderful vistas on crossing the high pass Mirgin La.<br /><br />Throughout the course of Kanchenjunga Circuit trek we received bespoke weather forecasts from Michael Fagin at&nbsp;<a href="http://www.everestweather.com/">www.everestweather.com</a>&nbsp;and this information was sent through to Almas on his satellite phone for days before approaching Kanchenjunga northside Base Camp and before crossing the Mirgin La. Having professional weather forecasts is essential for safety in crossing high passes and for decision making in the field.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5YfQsumH09E/WB34TwSU2cI/AAAAAAAADKo/X9FnRWJcfLwCDaPpu7R2QQLPRZCy_36pwCPcB/s1600/EverestWeather.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="38" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5YfQsumH09E/WB34TwSU2cI/AAAAAAAADKo/X9FnRWJcfLwCDaPpu7R2QQLPRZCy_36pwCPcB/s320/EverestWeather.gif" width="320" /></a></div><div><br />I heard reports from another group trekking Kanchenjunga Circuit in October that the trail to Ghunsa had been damaged during the monsoons with a number of new landslides however in practice by November with the dryer weather these areas were fine with no active rocks falling. Almas mentioned also that one bridge had been swept away during the monsoon however the older bridge nearby survived so the group easily crossed over.<br /><br />Over the years we have modified our itinerary for Kanchenjunga Circuit based on feedback from previous groups. We have carefully designed the day by day itinerary in order to allow time for acclimatisation to the high altitude and to maximise the chances of group successfully completing the trek. Almas confirmed in his debrief that our itinerary worked well and no further changes were required. As with all of TMC western led treks we track their progress while in the field through SPOT gps check ins,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.findmespot.com/spotadventures/index.php/view_adventure?tripid=347117">you can see the map of this trek and follow their route on SPOT Adventure website</a><br /><br />Thanks very much to Almas, Jhire, and Sangram and the rest of the team for their hard work leading and organising this trek.<br /><br />The Mountain Company is promoting&nbsp;<a href="http://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/nepal/walking-and-trekking/kanchenjunga-circuit/">Kanchenjunga Circuit trek</a>&nbsp;for April and November 2017. Our April departure is nearly guaranteed to run so please get in touch soon if you like to join this group.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Roland Hunter</b></div><div><b><a href="http://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/">www.themountaincompany.co.uk</a></b></div>www.themountaincompany.co.ukhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02641924774255965252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1286989939445837912.post-56869088329728305022016-11-02T15:18:00.004+00:002016-11-02T15:28:30.526+00:00Trip report for Dhaulagiri Circuit led by Ade Summers and Chandra Rai in October 2016<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--9DPl4E7uRY/WBn-Fq6FrJI/AAAAAAAADJc/ZBvLZkglgFEiVIB48G8Mg1J-9S-z24s3gCLcB/s1600/Dhaulagiri%2BBC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--9DPl4E7uRY/WBn-Fq6FrJI/AAAAAAAADJc/ZBvLZkglgFEiVIB48G8Mg1J-9S-z24s3gCLcB/s1600/Dhaulagiri%2BBC.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Dhaulagiri Base Camp</td></tr></tbody></table>In October we organised our 13th group trek around <a href="http://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/nepal/walking-and-trekking/dhaulagiri-circuit/">Dhaulagiri Circuit</a> and this was also our 3rd expedition to climb Dhampus Peak. On their return to Kathmandu I caught up with most of the group for a debrief at Yak Bar on the roof terrace of Hotel Tibet in Kathmandu to get their feedback on the trip. <br /><br />We had twelve people in this group and like in previous years this group was an international mix with people coming from Australia, Switzerland, USA, Canada and UK. There were three people who decided to pay for the extra cost to climb Dhampus Peak. This surcharge covers the permit fee and per permit rules the costs to provide equipment to the climbing guide and insurance fees for helicopter rescue. Therefore the cost of this surcharge depends on the number of people opting for Dhampus Peak and with a larger group the cost per person will decrease. <br /><br />The leaders for our Dhaulagiri Circuit with Dhampus trip were <a href="http://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/about-the-mountain-company/our-leaders/almas-khan/">Ade Summers</a> (UK &amp; Australia) and <a href="http://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/about-the-mountain-company/our-local-leaders/chandra-rai/">Chandra Rai</a> (Nepal). The climbing guide for Dhampus Peak was Dorje Sherpa and the Sherpa guides supporting the group was Hebi and Bhim. The cook was Kancha Tamang.<br /><br />The group arrived to Kathmandu on October 9th and we organized group briefing for late afternoon. The group flew to Pokhara on 10th and took the bus to Beni. As it was already 3pm by the time the group had finished lunch Ade and Chandra decided it would be better to take a bus to the first camp as it was not possible to camp at Tatopani instead continued on to Babaychur camp.<br /><br />There was a late monsoon in Nepal this Autumn and from checking weather forecasts the Annapurna and Dhaulagiri regions started to dry out with less precipitation by end of first week of October. We have carefully selected the first day of Dhaulagiri Circuit on October 9th as it is quite common for monsoon to continue into October. Luckily by the time our Dhaulagiri group started the trek there was settled and sunny post monsoon weather. I gather they were lucky to get good views of the Himalayas including Mt Dhaulagiri over the first two days as they walked through the villages. As ever the days lower down on Dhaulagiri Circuit are hot and humid as first night camp at Babaychur is only at an altitude of 870m.<br /><br />Throughout this expedition we received weather forecasts from Michael Fagin at <a href="http://everestweather.com/">everestweather.com</a> and we sent these onto Ade by text to his satellite phone. Overall the weather for this trek was good with sunny and stable conditions and had clear days with superb views for crossing French Pass and Dhampus Pass. Having professional weather forecasts is essential for safety in crossing high passes and for decision making in the field.<br /><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kBmhr3AniHw/WBoBzhBqq8I/AAAAAAAADJo/SpoPsvwI27wOv0vMehYxWsQw8Ev-QPjLACLcB/s1600/EverestWeather.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kBmhr3AniHw/WBoBzhBqq8I/AAAAAAAADJo/SpoPsvwI27wOv0vMehYxWsQw8Ev-QPjLACLcB/s1600/EverestWeather.gif" /></a></div><div><br />The trek went well with fine weather virtually no precipitation and the group arrived to Italian Base Camp as planned on October 16th. On October 22nd the group crossed French Col into Hidden Valley. As per our weather forecast from&nbsp;<a href="http://everestweather.com/">everestweather.com</a>&nbsp;it was sunny however windy on the pass as the jet streams were low and high winds were mixing down to 5,000m.<br /><br />On morning of October 23rd Ade got up at 3am and decided to abort the summit attempt on Dhampus Peak due to the strong wind. Three people who paid for the permit understood this decision and instead went for a good walk around Hidden Valley. This day in Hidden Valley is one of the highlights of the trip and during the day some people decided to relax and enjoy the views from camp while others explored Hidden Valley.<br /><br />On October 24th the group crossed Dhampus Pass with superb views of Annapurna South and Nilgiris and made good progress to camp at Alu Bari for the night. The next day there is a steep and sustained descent to Marpha village and after a refreshing apple juice (this village is well known for its apple products including stronger versions of juice!) some of the group took a bus to Jomsom and others walked.<br /><br />We have carefully designed our Dhaulagiri Circuit for acclimatisation and our groups have two nights at Italian Base Camp at 3,660m followed by two nights at Glacier Camp at 4,200m then a further two nights at Dhaulagiri Base Camp at 4,700m. Only with this ascent profile will you have enough time for your body to adapt to the high altitude for safe crossing of the high passes and for sleeping in Hidden Valley at 5,050m.<br /><br />As with all of TMC western led treks we track their progress while in the field through SPOT gps check ins,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.findmespot.com/spotadventures/index.php/view_adventure?tripid=345370">you can see the map of this trek in SPOT Adventure website</a><br /><br />I heard the group and crew had a good celebration this evening and a cake was baked by Kancha to celebrate the end of the trek. The group handed out the tips during the evening and this was appreciate by the crew.<br /><br />Congratulations to the group for completing Dhaulagiri Circuit. I would like thank Ade, Chandra, Dorje, Hebi, Bhim, Kancha plus the rest of the team for their help and hard work.<br /><br />The feedback from the group has been very positive and everyone had a good time. I have copied one member’s feedback from AITO.com website below:<br /><br /><i> “It started with a warm and generous Nepali welcome at the airport and it continued for the next 20 days. A good bunch of people of varied ages, a fantastic Leader and support crew who could not do enough to ensure you had a great time. The views were superb, they seemed to get better each day and I loved every minute of the trip.<br /><br />The itinerary was very well planned with rest days to assist with acclimatising. The tour company were extremely well organised, they communicated the plan for the day and were flexible in their attitude and generally appeared to care that everybody was well and enjoying themselves. There was always somebody not that far away on the trail if you had a question and to make sure the group stayed together. A truly professional tour group.” TE</i><br /><br />It is worth pointing out we have decided to make one change to our Dhaulagiri Circuit itinerary for 2017. It is a long day on Day 2 to fly to Pokhara, drive to Beni, have lunch and then trek or drive to Babaychur camp (as it is no longer possible to camp at Tatopani). If there are delays in the flight to Pokhara or on the drive to Beni takes longer than expected then it is likely that the group will to arrive to camp in the dark. Therefore we decided to include one more day in the itinerary to have second night at hotel in Pokhara then on Day 3 driving to Beni and walking beyond Babaychur to Darbang (just before the bridge).<br /><br />The Mountain Company organise our <a href="http://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/nepal/walking-and-trekking/dhaulagiri-circuit/">Dhaulagiri Circuit trek and Dhampus Peak expedition</a> twice a year in April and October. Our Dhaulagiri Circuit group in April 2017 is nearly guaranteed to run so please get in touch soon if you like to join this group.</div><div><br /></div><div>Trek on!</div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Roland Hunter</b></div><div><b><a href="http://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/">www.themountaincompany.co.uk</a></b></div><div><br /></div>www.themountaincompany.co.ukhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02641924774255965252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1286989939445837912.post-21265850176332537902016-11-02T09:05:00.005+00:002016-11-05T03:10:57.029+00:00Trip report for Lunana Snowman led by Almas Khan in September/ October 2016<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-e3oEsex579o/WBmmxBQCbhI/AAAAAAAADI0/QZ7AisVVGAcQZOz1osBD9UHJ-J5mi6wwACLcB/s1600/Gophu%2BLa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-e3oEsex579o/WBmmxBQCbhI/AAAAAAAADI0/QZ7AisVVGAcQZOz1osBD9UHJ-J5mi6wwACLcB/s1600/Gophu%2BLa.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Gophu La known as exit pass from Lunana</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>This is the eighth time The Mountain Company has organised the <a href="http://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/bhutan/walking-and-trekking/lunana-snowman/">Complete Lunana Snowman</a> trek in Bhutan starting in Paro and finishing in Bumthang. After another successful Snowman in September/ October 2016, The Mountain Company has 100% track record of organising this challenging and long trek through the remote Bhutanese Himalaya.<br /><div><br /></div><div>This year we had ten trekkers signed up for the full Snowman and like in previous years this group was an international mix with people coming from Australia, Finland, Netherlands, Germany, Denmark and UK. Our 2016 Snowman group was led by our regular guide, <a href="http://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/about-the-mountain-company/our-leaders/almas-khan/">Almas Khan</a>. Almas has now completed Snowman trek eight times including both Bumthang and Nikka Chu exit trails from Lunana. We received superb feedback from the group on Almas organisation and leadership skills. I have copied some of their comments below:</div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>"Almas is an experienced and very capable trek leader." JH <br /><br />"Almas was absolutely amazing! The way he kept his calm and the way he handled the long period of wet weather in the beginning of the trip made me feel in good hands. This was the first time I'd been on a long trek and the first time I'd been in a non-Western country, so to me it was very reassuring to have a trek leader who seemed so secure in everything he did. His humor was quite infectious as well, which of course isn't a necessary leadership skill, but did make the evenings more fun after a long, hard day. I liked the way he communicated important information without necessarily telling us everything; over-information isn't always a good thing if it makes people worry, and Almas knew exactly how much to tell us and when." DP</i><br /><br />For our 2016 Snowman we had several new crew members including the cook, Sonam, and his kitchen helpers. We have made some changes to our logistics and organisation for Snowman 2016 as the food on Snowman 2015 was disappointing. We have worked with our partners in Bhutan and Almas’s wife, Jayne Khan, flew out to Bhutan in August to help train Sonam and work on the supplies and provisioning for this long trek. This effort has paid off and we received positive feedback on the food from the group such as:<br /><br /><i>“The cook on the trek was great! Food was plentiful, well prepared and for the most part delicious” SS<br /><br />“I had expected to lose appetite due to the altitude and the foreign food, but our cook, Sonam, was excellent at preparing meals so delicious I actually often kept eating even when I wasn't hungry anymore. I never lost my appetite and always looked forward to the next meal.” DP</i><br /><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0bCJect-sgU/WBmmoOOTBTI/AAAAAAAADIw/Cw4_2tDanygxkEwg1-MpIE4gUVBRBPG6ACEw/s1600/rsz_dsc01596.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0bCJect-sgU/WBmmoOOTBTI/AAAAAAAADIw/Cw4_2tDanygxkEwg1-MpIE4gUVBRBPG6ACEw/s320/rsz_dsc01596.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Karchung La known as entry pass to Lunana</td></tr></tbody></table><div>We were happy to have our regular Bhutanese guide, Tashi, on board and Tsering Dorje joined our group again this year. Tsering guided on two of our &nbsp;previous Snowman treks however had a break for a few years as he was busy in Autumn season as a cultural tour guide. Our third Bhutanese guide was called Tsering too. <br /><br />The big news in Himalaya this Autumn season was the late monsoon as this year finished raining much later than usual by mid-October. Normally the heavy rains are decreasing by end of September however the timing and intensity of monsoon varies year to year. Our Snowman 2016 was unlucky as when monsoon was winding down a low pressure system came off Bay of Bengal bringing in more heavy rain on October 12th and 13th. <br /><br />Throughout the course of Snowman trek we received bespoke weather forecasts from Michael Fagin at <a href="http://everestweather.com/">everestweather.com</a> and this information is sent through to Almas on his satellite phone. Having professional weather forecasts is essential for safety in crossing high passes and for decision making in the field. Michael sent us advanced warning of this low pressure system and tracked its path so we could provide Almas with information a few days before its arrival to Bhutan.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eSaXZh_7AjI/WBmplJN3prI/AAAAAAAADJM/61KWTpZTwRwJW2x0rUEKD6he6wh_YqAVwCLcB/s1600/EverestWeather.gif" /></div><div><br />Normally by the time group arrives to Chomolhari BC the weather improves however it is important to start this trek in September as a week or two later precipitation will fall as snow on the exit passes of Gophu La and Saga La. As mentioned in <a href="http://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/bhutan/walking-and-trekking/lunana-snowman/report/">previous Snowman trip reports</a> the number of days on Snowman is longer than the typical weather window available. The compromise is to start earlier in Autumn season when there is still a chance of precipitation however it means it is less likely for the exit passes of Lunana to be blocked by snow as the snowline is higher at this time of year. This strategy worked for Snowman 2016 as after the low pressure system discussed above passed through the snow was not too deep on the high passes and melted off quite fast. Therefore we had no issues with our pack animals and group crossing these passes.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-J7i_ZyersiU/WBmm6sfbarI/AAAAAAAADI4/KbYK6UIkab0PqvN1z_SaWiCNPlQwzOXfwCLcB/s1600/Jitchu%2BDrake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-J7i_ZyersiU/WBmm6sfbarI/AAAAAAAADI4/KbYK6UIkab0PqvN1z_SaWiCNPlQwzOXfwCLcB/s1600/Jitchu%2BDrake.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Mount Jitchu Drake</td></tr></tbody></table><div>For this year’s Snowman we modified our itinerary from Snowman 2015 as the group spent two nights in the less visited Haa valley before starting the trek. After the group's arrival to Paro they had one night at Olathang hotel and then next day the group walked up Tiger's Nest and then in afternoon drive over Chele La (3,780m) to Haa Valley. After two nights at Haa valley they drove back over Chele La and then drive on through Paro to Shana for the first night's camp of the trek.</div><div><br /></div><div>In Haa valley the group enjoyed a lovely day walk and as this valley is at 2,712m this is 500m higher than Paro it is very effective for acclimatisation. In Haa valley the group enjoyed staying at a traditional farmhouse called Lechuna Heritage Lodge for more information&nbsp;<a href="http://www.everestlodges.com/lodges/lechuna-heritage-lodge-bhutan">please take a look at their website</a>.&nbsp;The feedback from Snowman 2016 has been very positive about staying in Haa Valley before starting the trek and everyone was well acclimatized for the ascent up to Chomolhari Base Camp. We believe our modified 2016 Snowman trek should add in terms of interest and also increase our groups chances of safely completing the Snowman trek<br /><br />Our Snowman 2016 group made good progress and did not lose any days due to bad weather or other delays along the way. As usual Almas decided to have only one night at Thanza and to keep moving in case a spare buffer day was required later on. In the end they arrived to the hot springs at Dur Tsachu one day early like previous year so they had two nights to relax in the hot tubs. <br /><br />On October 19th we had one member of the group suffer from an allergic reaction so Almas decided this person should be evacuated by helicopter. It is not known what caused this reaction however it may have been a plant that caused a rash to spread and then proceed to swelling of lips. After a discussion with their insurance company through the satellite phone it was agreed the best course of action was to evacuate this person by helicopter.<br /><br />In previous years there were no helicopters available in Bhutan so evacuations were organized by Indian Army however this process was slow and unreliable. Two years ago Bhutan government purchased two helicopters now stationed throughout the year in Thimphu and Paro to provide more effective service for rapid evacuation. After the approval had been received from insurance company our partner in Thimphu arranged for the helicopter rescue. One of the reasons our leaders on remote treks carry GPS Spot locator is so that we can provide latitude and longitude to the pilot for location of pick up.<br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aFEvpry3Yb8/WBmnfpljYCI/AAAAAAAADI8/i--E0bxfWkQTt8zKF5BaE68yErTUhQHMwCLcB/s1600/IMG_0149.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aFEvpry3Yb8/WBmnfpljYCI/AAAAAAAADI8/i--E0bxfWkQTt8zKF5BaE68yErTUhQHMwCLcB/s320/IMG_0149.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: helicopter evacuation from Worithang</td></tr></tbody></table><div>The evacuation went well and this person was flown back to Thimphu for checkup and made a full recovery. This worked well as we were able to send in food and meat in the helicopter so the group enjoyed chicken dishes for a few nights! This was our first helicopter evacuation required on our eight Snowman treks however it is good to know this service is available in case required. For more information on helicopter service in Bhutan <a href="http://www.airbushelicopters.com/website/en/press/Royal%20Bhutan%20Helicopter%20Services%20Limited%20takes%20delivery%20of%20its%20second%20H130_1989.html">please take a look at Airbus Helicopter's website</a><br /><br />We used SPOT gps tracker for this group and each night Almas checked in sending a gps signal to us so we could track this group's progress. <a href="https://www.findmespot.com/spotadventures/index.php/view_adventure?tripid=346647">Click here to see the way points overlaid onto a map for Lunana Snowman</a><br /><br />The feedback for Snowman 2016 has been positive and I have copied one below:<br /><br /><i> “The Mountain Company organised an excellent Snowman trek in Bhutan. The pre-trek information and advice was very helpful and the trek was expertly led in country by Almas Khan, a very experienced trek leader who has now completed numerous Snowman treks.<br /><br />The 27 day Snowman Trek was a tough challenge, both physically and mentally. The terrain was remote and often spectacular. Sandwiched between the monsoon and the start of the winter snows it pays to be well equipped for all weather. The many ascents are not technical but are often long. The steep descents often require a lot of concentration. Paths vary from smooth and dry to mud and rocks.<br /> The 3 day pre-trek acclimatisation process was well thought out and none of the group suffered any significant altitude sickness. The three day cross-country return to Paro gave a good insight to Bhutan life.” JH</i><br /><i><br /></i>For more testimonials on Snowman and our other trips please take a look at <a href="https://www.aito.com/the-mountain-company/reviews/1">AITO review section of their website</a><br /><br />Many thanks to Almas, Tsering Dorje, Tashi, Tsering, Sonam and rest of the crew for all of their hard work, great job again! Thanks to Jayne Khan for all of her help with training the cooks and her work on provisioning. Thanks also to Kinley and Dawa in the office in Thimphu who worked hard to improve their level of service and have responded well to our feedback from Snowman 2015.<br /><br />We have now launched the dates and prices for <a href="http://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/bhutan/walking-and-trekking/lunana-snowman/">Lunana Snowman 2017</a> on TMC website so please get in touch soon if you would like to join this group. Almas Khan has confirmed his leadership for next year’s Snowman and we have already received confirmation from five people so I am confident our Snowman 2017 will be guaranteed soon. As soon as Druk Air starts to taking bookings for flights for dates of Snowman 2017 we will ask people to pay deposits if they like to go ahead to sign up.<br /><br />If you have already done Lunana Snowman then you may be interested to hear Almas will also be heading back to Bhutan in April 2017 to lead our <a href="http://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/bhutan/walking-and-trekking/rodung-la-merak-sakten/">Rodung La with Sakten and Merak</a>. This trek is an extension of the Lunana Snowman trek by starting in Bumthang and continuing east to Trashi Yangtse along The Great Himalaya Trail ("GHT").<br /><br />Trek on!</div></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Roland Hunter</b></div><div><b><a href="http://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/">www.themountaincompany.co.uk</a></b></div>www.themountaincompany.co.ukhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02641924774255965252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1286989939445837912.post-72702965302648885352016-10-22T08:14:00.003+01:002016-10-23T17:33:43.183+01:00Trip Report for Snow Lake and Hispar La trek in Pakistan led by Ade Summers in July '16<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Jvfv-quisiI/WAzi8Y0BK1I/AAAAAAAADHs/VsCJutUIt-QX5hsBW6H0ZocAmD-ekiZ_gCLcB/s1600/Mar%2Bphoto%2Bpakistan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Jvfv-quisiI/WAzi8Y0BK1I/AAAAAAAADHs/VsCJutUIt-QX5hsBW6H0ZocAmD-ekiZ_gCLcB/s320/Mar%2Bphoto%2Bpakistan.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Biafo Glacier (credit: Mar Knox)</td></tr></tbody></table>Our Snow Lake and Hispar La group arrived to Islamabad on July 10th and were lucky to fly as planned to Skardu on 11th. It is worth pointing that in the past this flight has been unreliable and often cancelled. If the fight is cancelled then we drive the Karakoram Highway (“KKH”) and spend the night in Chilas along the way. At the moment Foreign &amp; Commonwealth Office ("FCO") to Pakistan advises against travel on the Karakoram Highway (“KKH”) and therefore at point of booking we require a signed FCO Awareness Disclaimer from all clients. This document confirms that person joining the trip assumes and accepts the risks associated with travel against FCO advice.<br /><div><br /></div><div>Since we last organised a trek in Pakistan back in August 2012 the flight to Skardu has become more reliable as there are more planes flying the route from Islamabad to Skardu so these days the chances of having to drive KKH are reduced (although of course still possible). In fact over Summer 2016 of all our groups both Snow Lake and K2 Base Camp treks were lucky as they flew both ways Islamabad to Skardu and back to Islamabad.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BQUB4GxvjgM/WAzjPrK8gzI/AAAAAAAADHw/P2Lyczr_2vYdjDRnQsav-Cq8J8H1ar__QCEw/s1600/Mar%2Bphoto%2Bpakistan%2B3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BQUB4GxvjgM/WAzjPrK8gzI/AAAAAAAADHw/P2Lyczr_2vYdjDRnQsav-Cq8J8H1ar__QCEw/s320/Mar%2Bphoto%2Bpakistan%2B3.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Snow Lake (credit: Mar Knox)</td></tr></tbody></table>As the group flew to Skardu at start of the trip they had two nights staying at K2 Motel before starting the trek. On July 13th the group drove in jeeps along the rough road to the village of Askole at the road head. Along the way there was a landslide blocking the way however they managed to cross the land slide on foot through an area with active rockfall with small rocks regularly falling. The guides organized the group to quickly cross this hazardous area with with spotters looking out for falling rocks. This is the reality of adventure travel in Pakistan where roads are often damaged by landslides so before booking any trip to this country you should make sure you are comfortable with this level of risk and uncertainty.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ML5I7UYCrug/WAzjezFM8WI/AAAAAAAADH4/C5p2NqQ-BxcDbI__33c_QWjn5HkLKHz8gCEw/s1600/Mar%2Bphoto%2Bpakistan%2B4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ML5I7UYCrug/WAzjezFM8WI/AAAAAAAADH4/C5p2NqQ-BxcDbI__33c_QWjn5HkLKHz8gCEw/s320/Mar%2Bphoto%2Bpakistan%2B4.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: view from High Camp (credit: Mar Knox)</td></tr></tbody></table>When our group arrived to Askole, Ade met a German group and their Pakistani guide who had attempted Snow Lake trek although had to turn around and trek back to Askole. After detailed discussions with this group Ade found out there were large crevasses 30m to 40 wide blocking the route to Hispar La. At that point Ade got in contact with TMC office in London to discuss the situation and we both agreed to continue with the trek and to check conditions at Hispar La to see if possible to proceed with the traverse into Hunza.</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div><br />On July 14th they started their trek following the K2 Base Camp trail for three hours to Korofong (3,100m) then from there the Snow Lake trail turns to the west and ascends the Biafo glacier. As mentioned in <a href="http://themountaincompany.blogspot.com/2016/10/trip-report-for-k2-base-camp-treks-la.html">K2 Base Camp trip reports</a>, most of the high mountain treks in Pakistan like Snow Lake trek do not pass through any villages so this is very different to trekking experience to Nepal. The trek to Snow Lake passes through rough and rugged terrain. As there are no villages in this area the trails are less well travelled and there are no bridges over the rivers so you must be prepared for river crossings.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-31W0qupCHho/WAzj5RuKG5I/AAAAAAAADH8/4pXIqwLvvZEKNPD0vtOUfA9abCjaGAEMwCEw/s1600/Mar%2Bphoto%2Bpakistan%2B5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-31W0qupCHho/WAzj5RuKG5I/AAAAAAAADH8/4pXIqwLvvZEKNPD0vtOUfA9abCjaGAEMwCEw/s320/Mar%2Bphoto%2Bpakistan%2B5.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: High Camp at 4,580m (credit: Mar Knox)</td></tr></tbody></table>I gather from Ade for the first few days of the trek the weather was fine and quite hot however after a couple of days the weather became cloudier and there was heavy rain in afternoon. The trek proceeded as planned however there was heavy snow fall on the day before heading up to Snow Lake causing difficult conditions on the glacier. When there is fresh snow on the glacier this can hide the crevasses and also cause slippery conditions underfoot. At this point the decision was made by Ade to turn back and retreat to Askole given the low chance of finding a way through the large crevasses on way to Hispar La and also due to the fresh snow making glacial travel riskier for the group and crew.<br /><br />After some discussion with TMC Office and our local partners in Pakistan we rescheduled their itinerary. &nbsp;The group walked back down Hispar glacier to Askole then drove back to Skardu for one night and then drove around to the end point of the trek at Karimabad. The four people who had booked onto the <a href="http://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/pakistan/walking-and-trekking/k2-and-gondogoro-la/">K2 Base Camp &amp; Gondogoro La</a>&nbsp;trek decided to stay a few more nights in Karimabad and the rest of Snow Lake group with Ade flew back from Gilgit to Islamabad as planned.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AGpw7jqf-GU/WAzkpi_5o-I/AAAAAAAADII/rANTwQSB7T8HSP2-JGeT81wBgQTHCnDAACLcB/s1600/Mar%2Bphoto%2Bpakistan%2B2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AGpw7jqf-GU/WAzkpi_5o-I/AAAAAAAADII/rANTwQSB7T8HSP2-JGeT81wBgQTHCnDAACLcB/s320/Mar%2Bphoto%2Bpakistan%2B2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: roped up traverse to Snow Lake (credit: Mar Knox)</td></tr></tbody></table>I think it was a real shame that this group were not able to cross Hispar La over to Hunza valley as I understand it is disappointing not to achieve the objective of the trip. When I heard this news from Ade I was surprised as many groups have crossed this pass over the years however for some reason the conditions of this glacier has dramatically changed.<br /><br />From speaking to the local guides they thought these large crevasses may have been caused by two recent earthquakes experienced nearby in October 2015 (magnitude 7.5) and April 2016 (magnitude 6.6). This affect was reported in local Pakistan at the time although from <a href="http://khybernews.tv/earthquake-cracks-glaciers-in-hunza-valley-officials/">Kyber News article</a> it is not clear which glacier they are referring to. The other contributing factor likely to have influenced this change in conditions is global warming as it has been recorded that many glaciers in Himalaya and Karakoram are melting fast.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IoTgHc4yc-I/WAzlRipwGKI/AAAAAAAADIQ/3YoKcRgpUKUCh9RxPGwyRbqrMcZXXZ2igCLcB/s1600/Mar%2Bphoto%2Bpakistan%2B7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IoTgHc4yc-I/WAzlRipwGKI/AAAAAAAADIQ/3YoKcRgpUKUCh9RxPGwyRbqrMcZXXZ2igCLcB/s320/Mar%2Bphoto%2Bpakistan%2B7.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Khalil, Javed and Mark dancing at camp (credit: Mar Knox)</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div>After Snow Lake, Ade went on to lead our<a href="http://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/pakistan/walking-and-trekking/k2-and-gondogoro-la/"> K2 Base Camp</a> groups and on return to Askole at end of August met a group they had also return to Askole after attempting to cross Hispar La as they were also unable to cross due to these crevasses. As far as I know no other groups managed to make the traverse from Askole to Hunza via Hispar during Summer 2016. For this reason we have decided not to run our Snow Lake trek in 2017 as we are not confident with the current conditions however if a route is found through these crevasses next summer then we will look to organize Snow Lake again in 2018.</div><div><br />We used SPOT gps tracker for this group, for each night on trek Ade checked in sending a gps signal to us so we could track this group's progress: <a href="https://www.findmespot.com/spotadventures/index.php/view_adventure?tripid=344676">click here to see the way points overlaid onto a map for our 2016 Snow Lake</a><br /><br />Thanks very much to Ade, Javeed and Wahab plus the rest of the Pakistan team for their hard work in leading this trek.<br /><br />I have copied feedback below from one member of Snow Lake group:&nbsp;<i>“Excellent trek in a remote part of Pakistan to the beautiful Snow Lake. Very professional, safety conscious and organised. Excellent individual service.” Mark S</i><br /><br />As mentioned The Mountain Company will not organize Snow Lake in 2017 however we are promoting both our <a href="http://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/pakistan/walking-and-trekking/k2-base-camp/">K2 Base Camp &amp; Concordia</a> and <a href="http://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/pakistan/walking-and-trekking/k2-and-gondogoro-la/">K2 Base Camp &amp; Gondogoro La</a>&nbsp;in Pakistan for July 2017.Please get in touch with us soon if you like to join one of these groups&nbsp;next summer.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Roland Hunter</b></div><div><b><a href="http://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/">www.themountaincompany.co.uk</a></b></div>www.themountaincompany.co.ukhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02641924774255965252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1286989939445837912.post-2058451974560380502016-10-16T09:36:00.002+01:002016-10-16T09:36:27.279+01:00Trip report for Ladakh Sky Trail GHT led by Almas Khan in August/ September 2016<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rvv-Xz4nYb8/WAM5nmuGGOI/AAAAAAAADGk/o6NZUsI2KGw3ldzgq9-XGiBA53rCmx1IwCLcB/s1600/IMG_1188.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rvv-Xz4nYb8/WAM5nmuGGOI/AAAAAAAADGk/o6NZUsI2KGw3ldzgq9-XGiBA53rCmx1IwCLcB/s1600/IMG_1188.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Tshokar salt lake</td></tr></tbody></table>Our <a href="http://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/india/walking-and-trekking/ladakh-skytrail-ght/">Ladakh Sky Trail GHT</a> group arrived to Leh in northern Indian on August 17th and on 19th drove to Lamayuru (3,500m) and 20th they started the trek. Our Ladakh Sky Trail is a unique itinerary designed by Almas and travels through the best of the three areas of this region: Ladakh, Zanskar and Changthang/ Rupshu. For most of Ladakh Sky Trail GHT we follow rarely trekked trails and this is only possible due to the local knowledge of Almas and our local Ladakhi guides.<br /><br />As for all or our treks in the Himalayas we received bespoke weather forecast from Michael Fagin at <a href="http://everestweather.com/">everestweather.com</a>. Fortunately the weather was good for our 2016 Ladakh Sky Trail GHT trek and I gather from Almas there was less snow on the high passes compared to previous years. This meant that the river levels were low and there were no issues with river crossings. Amas knew this year's horsemen well as they had worked together on treks several years ago and are the best we have used so far on this trek. I gather due to low river levels and experienced horseman the horses did not need to be unloaded and reloaded during the many river crossings so this speeded up the days.<div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NlJFvq65TGw/WAM51n81OyI/AAAAAAAADGo/r_ZsNT2t6nIJ4sZ-C8j1KWDKHLTdCVuuwCLcB/s1600/IMG_1142.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NlJFvq65TGw/WAM51n81OyI/AAAAAAAADGo/r_ZsNT2t6nIJ4sZ-C8j1KWDKHLTdCVuuwCLcB/s1600/IMG_1142.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: river crossing son way to Zangla Sumdo</td></tr></tbody></table><div>As mentioned in <a href="http://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/india/walking-and-trekking/ladakh-skytrail-ght/report/">previous year’s Trip Reports</a> we have carefully selected the time of year to run this trek, by starting in late August into September much of the snow in the mountains has already melted over the summer so river levels should be lower at this time of year.<br /><br />As the weather and conditions were favourable the group made good progress and followed the itinerary as planned. The whole group arrived to end of the trek at Tsomoriri lake on September 9th and then on 10th drove back to Leh. As with all of TMC western led treks we track their progress while in the field through SPOT gps check ins, you can see <a href="https://www.findmespot.com/spotadventures/index.php/view_adventure?tripid=345612">the map of this trek on SPOT Adventure website</a></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2NwCET-f400/WAM6BwLGRaI/AAAAAAAADGs/MQv3MJoKqkIlwBUg2bDSYrJTG4JBNygdQCLcB/s1600/FullSizeRender%2B%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2NwCET-f400/WAM6BwLGRaI/AAAAAAAADGs/MQv3MJoKqkIlwBUg2bDSYrJTG4JBNygdQCLcB/s1600/FullSizeRender%2B%25281%2529.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: on way to Lingshed</td></tr></tbody></table><div>Thanks to Almas and the hardworking Ladakhi team for doing a great job on another successful <a href="http://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/india/walking-and-trekking/ladakh-skytrail-ght/">Ladakh Sky Trail GHT</a>. Almas will be back in Ladakh again next summer leading our 2017 Ladakh Sky Trail and we have already requested for the same local Ladakhi crew to join our group. Please get in touch soon if you are interested in joining our <a href="http://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/india/walking-and-trekking/ladakh-skytrail-ght/">Ladakh Sky Trail GHT</a> or if you have any questions on this trek.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Roland Hunter</b></div><div><b><a href="http://www.themountainconmpany.co.uk/">www.themountainconmpany.co.uk</a></b></div>www.themountaincompany.co.ukhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02641924774255965252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1286989939445837912.post-34745873538746978202016-10-04T14:52:00.003+01:002016-10-06T03:37:52.782+01:00Trip Report for K2 Base Camp treks in Pakistan led by Ade Summers in August '16<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZwaOenLwv24/V_OtlYRWLRI/AAAAAAAADGM/kRDHGQ0zzq44lnZrDlLB8Ig8MPxJqjqagCLcB/s1600/K2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZwaOenLwv24/V_OtlYRWLRI/AAAAAAAADGM/kRDHGQ0zzq44lnZrDlLB8Ig8MPxJqjqagCLcB/s1600/K2.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: K2</td></tr></tbody></table>In 2016 we decided to run two treks to K2 Base Camp in Pakistan at the same time: our <a href="http://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/pakistan/walking-and-trekking/k2-base-camp/">K2 Base Camp &amp; Concordia</a> and our <a href="http://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/pakistan/walking-and-trekking/k2-and-gondogoro-la/">K2 Base Camp &amp; Gondogoro La</a>. The plan was for both groups to walk together to K2 Base Camp then one group would return back down Baltoro and the second group from Concordia would follow Vigne glacier and ascend over the Gondogoro La pass to Hushe village. After the trek both groups were scheduled to meet back up again in Skardu then travel together back to Islamabad. These K2 treks were led by Ade Summers and supported by Pakistan guides Javeed and Wahab.<br /><br />Our <a href="http://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/pakistan/walking-and-trekking/k2-base-camp/">K2 Base Camp &amp; Concordia</a> is a non-technical walk however for a large portion of this trek follows a moraine covered glacier. The feedback received is this trek is more challenging than similar treks such as <a href="http://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/nepal/walking-and-trekking/everest-base-camp/">Everest Base Camp in Nepal</a>. We recommend K2 Base Camp to experienced trekkers who have trekked to high altitude in the Himalaya on a previous occasion and experience in the outdoors such as regular walking and hiking in home country.<br /><br />Whereas if you plan to join <a href="http://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/pakistan/walking-and-trekking/k2-and-gondogoro-la/">K2 Base Camp &amp; Gondogoro La</a> trek then mountaineering skills are required to cross this technical pass. At The Mountain Company we have a process of reviewing pre trip applications sent in through our website before providing feedback on suitability and whether any further training is required. I have noticed from having led K2 Base Camp trek many times over the years that often other groups underestimate the challenge of crossing the Gondogoro La. It is important for safety to have mountaineering skills and experience of previous high altitude treks before considering this trip.<br /><br />Our K2 Base Camp groups arrived to Islamabad on July 30th and were lucky to fly to Skardu on 31st. It is worth pointing that in the past this flight has been unreliable and often cancelled. If the fight is cancelled then we drive the Karakoram Highway (“KKH”) and spend the night in Chilas along the way. At the moment <a href="https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/pakistan">Foreign &amp; Commonwealth Office ("FCO") to Pakistan</a> advises against travel on the Karakoram Highway (“KKH”) and therefore at point of booking we require a signed FCO Awareness Disclaimer from all clients. This document confirms that person joining the trip assumes and accepts the risks associated with travel against FCO advice.<br /><br />Since we last organised a trek in Pakistan back in August 2012 the flight to Skardu has become more reliable as there are more planes flying the route from Islamabad to Skardu so these days the chances of having to drive KKH are reduced (although of course still possible). Our K2 Base Camp groups were lucky as they also flew back to Islamabad after the trek too.<br /><br />As the group flew to Skardu at start of the trip they had two nights staying at K2 Motel before starting the trek. On this extra day in Skardu the group enjoyed exploring the town and bazaar as well as walking up to the fort located on a hill overlooking the Indus river.<br /><br />On August 2nd the group drove in local jeeps along the rough road to the road head at the village of Askole. On August 3rd they started their trek following the fast flowing Braldu river. Unlike treks in Nepal on K2 Base Camp trek there are no villages once one has left Askole. The trek to K2 Base Camp passes through rough and rugged terrain with impressive peaks flanking the Baltoro Glacier. As there are no villages in this area the trails are less well travelled and there are fewer bridges over the rivers so you must be prepared for river crossings.<br /><br />We have carefully designed our itinerary for gradual acclimatisation and unlike most other companies we decide not have two nights in Paiju (3,383m) as this is too low to benefit from acclimatisation. Instead we continue onto Urdukas camp (4,130m) where we have two nights as this more beneficial at this altitude.<br /><div><br /></div><div>We made one change on our itinerary for summer 2016 as we now have one night at Concordia on the way up and then on next day we shift camp up to Broad Peak Base Camp. This works much better as one can walk up to K2 Base Camp from Broad Peak Base Camp then back down to Concordia. Whereas in the past we walked from Concordia to K2 Base Camp in a day and this is a very long way on rough moraine covered glacier. In practice this day walk is too far for most people and it is disappointing if group cannot reach their objective of K2 Base Camp.<br /><br />I gather from Ade the first few days of the trek the weather was very hot and then they had rain at Urdukas followed by cloudy conditions for Concordia and trek to Broad Peak and K2 Base Camp. However luckily the group did see the mighty pyramid of K2 however not as clear as our groups have enjoyed in the past. The weather had been unstable in Karakoram from last week of July and this had fallen as snow that had accumulated on Gondogoro La.<br /><br />One of the main risks of crossing this pass is rockfall and mudslides especially when fresh snow starts to melt. As a result the local Hushe Rescue Team were not in place to help teams over the pass. Therefore Ade made the decision that it was not safe to cross the pass and sadly our Gondogoro La group descended Baltoro with our K2 Base Camp team. The good news is that all eleven members of this group successfully made it to K2 Base Camp. Well done and congratulations!<br /><br />We used SPOT gps tracker for this group, for each night on trek Ade checked in sending a gps signal to us so we could track this group's progress: <a href="http://www.findmespot.com/spotadventures/index.php/view_adventure?tripid=345020">click here to see the way points overlaid onto a map for K2 Base Camp</a><br /><br />Thanks very much to Ade, Javeed and Wahab plus the rest of the Pakistan team for their hard work in leading this trek.<br /><br />I have copied some feedback below from one of K2 Base Camp group:<br /><br /><i>"This is a great company that provides point by point communication and attention to details. The head guide was well chosen to blend the needs of all the clients. The food and food preparation was excellent. Attention was paid to care and cleanliness to avoid illness on the trek. The local support crew was excellent and was also on target with camp preparation and helping the clients. The camp sites provide great views of more 7 and 8000 meter peaks than most any place in the world. The timing of the trip length was excellent to help with acclimatization. The whole package from start to finish makes this group and this trek one of the best treks on the planet." Doctor Phil (USA)</i><br /><i><br /></i>The Mountain Company is promoting both our <a href="http://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/pakistan/walking-and-trekking/k2-base-camp/">K2 Base Camp &amp; Concordia</a> and <a href="http://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/pakistan/walking-and-trekking/k2-and-gondogoro-la/">K2 Base Camp &amp; Gondogoro La</a>&nbsp;for July 2017. We decided to organise these treks one month earlier compared to 2016 as there may be better chance of clearer weather and for crossing Gondogoro la in July. There is already interest in these departures so I am confident this will run as planned.<br /><br />Please get in touch with us soon if you like to join one of our K2 Base Camp treks in July 2017.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Roland Hunter</b></div><div><b><a href="http://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/">www.themountaincompany.co.uk</a></b></div>www.themountaincompany.co.ukhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02641924774255965252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1286989939445837912.post-83727630529622421242016-09-05T18:44:00.000+01:002016-09-10T10:27:20.056+01:00The Mountain Company sends a Thuraya satellite phone on all of our treks in Nepal, Pakistan and BhutanWe have recently introduced a company policy of <b>sending Thuraya satellite phone with our guides on all treks in Nepal, Pakistan and Bhutan</b>.<br /><br />The question to ask is whether a satellite phone is really needed for a trek in Nepal, Pakistan or Bhutan? The answer is yes that having reliable communications in the field via a satellite phone such as Thuraya is critical for group safety, risk management and contingency planning in an emergency situation.<br /><div><br /></div><div>Please see photo below of four Thuraya satellite phones delivered today and this means The Mountain Company now has a total of twelve satellite phones for use on our 2016 Autumn treks in Nepal and Bhutan.<br /><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-n6MOYfFvI9w/V82hhKxEiXI/AAAAAAAADFw/k1fnsTeS98Qjd1RcZhNP3C_wZdv0FoY5ACLcB/s1600/20160905_124524FB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-n6MOYfFvI9w/V82hhKxEiXI/AAAAAAAADFw/k1fnsTeS98Qjd1RcZhNP3C_wZdv0FoY5ACLcB/s320/20160905_124524FB.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: some of The Mountain Company's Thuraya satellite phones</td></tr></tbody></table><div>The Mountain Company sends a Thuraya satellite phone and also three fully charged batteries with each group. This means there will be sufficient battery power for extended treks and our groups do not have to rely on solar panels (as these do not work if cloudy) or unreliable power from local villages or lodges. <br /><br />However just giving a satellite phone to our guides is not sufficient as we need to ensure they check messages sent and keep in regular contact. For example The Mountain Company receives weather forecasts from <a href="http://everestweather.com/">everestweather.com</a> throughout the trekking seasons in Nepal, Pakistan and Bhutan and we will send SMS texts with the forecast summary to direct to the group's satellite phones. If the leader does not turn the satellite phone on to check for messages or call into The Mountain Company operation centre then they will not be aware if there is cyclone or large storm coming their way!<br /><br />The Mountain Company has developed a communications policy for both our Western and Nepali leaders and this has been designed to enhance the safety for both crew and trekking group. Our communications policy means we can keep in touch with our leaders and groups in the field by monitoring their progress and provide support when required. A summary of The Mountain Company's communications policy is as follows:<br /><ul><li>Group leader must switch their Thuraya satellite phone on every day after 6pm to check for incoming SMS text messages.</li><li>Group leader must call The Mountain Company at a minimum every four days to give an update on their progress.</li><li>Group leader must call The Mountain Company on the day before crossing any high pass over 4,500m to receive an update on weather forecast and conditions. They should also phone to confirm when the group and crew have all crossed the pass safely.</li><li>Group leader must call The Mountain Company for approval before making any significant changes to the itinerary.</li><li>Group leader must call The Mountain Company if any member of the group or crew is sick or injured.</li><li>Group leader to call The Mountain Company at any time if they need any advice, help or support while leading a group.</li></ul>Having led many treks throughout the Himalaya over the years I am frequently surprised how many groups met along the way do not have access to satellite communications in the field. If you are looking to join a group trek in the Himalaya I suggest you ask the operator during your enquiry (and before booking!) if your trek leader will have a satellite phone. Please do not assume if you are booking with a European or American trek operator that a satellite phone will be always be sent with your group!<br /><br />Following the Nepal earthquakes in Spring 2015 we found that having direct communications with our leaders through their satellite phones was critical in finding out the status of our groups (luckily they were all fine) and deciding on their plans for rest of their trip. In the past we relied upon the cell phone system in Everest and Annapurna region however this is not reliable especially as many of cell phone towers are powered by solar panels.&nbsp;</div><div><br /></div><div>During our contingency planning at The Mountain Company we have considered the worst case situation of an extreme event such as a high magnitude earthquake that could destroy the entire cell phone system of one of our destination countries of Nepal, Pakistan or Bhutan. If this happened then having reliable satellite phone communications would be critical for contacting our groups in the field and organising their emergency evacuation. Unfortunately earthquakes and cyclones will certainly happen again in the Himalaya and Karakoram (hopefully not in our life time) however we need to be prepared for this and have robust contingency plans in place.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Roland Hunter</b></div><div><b><a href="http://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/">www.themountaincompany.co.uk</a></b></div>www.themountaincompany.co.ukhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02641924774255965252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1286989939445837912.post-13863447608531015282016-07-05T10:52:00.004+01:002016-07-05T15:42:39.595+01:00The Mountain Company has been nominated for the Best Escorted Adventure Holiday Company category in the 2016 British Travel Awards<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://britishtravelawards.com/btaform.php?nomLink=46"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-be_-__dhHnE/V3uC6N161aI/AAAAAAAADFU/-XVp2ZjaqIcr94THsuZxbMwEHKxELF9wwCLcB/s320/bta2016_vote_online_364px.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />We are delighted to report that <b>The Mountain Company</b> has been nominated for the <b>Best Escorted Adventure Holiday Company</b> category in the prestigious 2016 British Travel Awards (BTAs).<br /><div><br /></div><div>The winners will be determined by the consumer, who has until 30 September to cast their vote, with the successful companies announced at the BTA Gala Awards Dinner, being held in London on 23 November 2016.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Mountain Company is London based adventure travel company organising remote treks, expeditions and tours to the Himalayan region from Burma, India, Nepal, Bhutan to Pakistan.</div><div><br /></div><div>British Travel Awards’ chief executive Lorraine Barnes Burton said: <i>“This year there are nearly seven hundred nominations listed against 83 Award categories and competition to win a British Travel Awards will be fierce. In 2015 more than a million votes were cast by the consumer to decide the winners, making the BTAs easily the largest awards programme in the UK. Voting in the 2016 Awards is now open and nominated companies have until 30th September to lobby their happy customers for votes – good luck to <b>The Mountain Company.</b>”</i></div><div><br /></div><div>The British Travel Awards are considered the benchmark for excellence when it comes to finding out who really is the best in the travel industry. The British Travel Awards is a proudly independent organisation, verified by leading global business practitioners, Deloitte.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>HOW TO VOTE?</b> <a href="http://britishtravelawards.com/btaform.php?nomLink=46">Please vote for us by September 30th if you think we are the Best Escorted Adventure Holiday Company by clicking here </a><br /><br /><b><br /></b><b>Roland Hunter</b><br /><b><a href="http://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/">www.themountaincompany.co.uk</a></b></div>www.themountaincompany.co.ukhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02641924774255965252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1286989939445837912.post-30845936566186152332016-07-02T12:05:00.001+01:002016-07-02T12:05:16.775+01:00Hemis festival in Ladakh (Northern India)<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jzn9bNckuvU/V3eebzcAQ5I/AAAAAAAADE8/BHUEiL5E3rkIquY1uiZOZxxqjJvrbSnYQCLcB/s1600/CIMG1457.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jzn9bNckuvU/V3eebzcAQ5I/AAAAAAAADE8/BHUEiL5E3rkIquY1uiZOZxxqjJvrbSnYQCLcB/s1600/CIMG1457.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Hemis Monastery</td></tr></tbody></table><div>Hemis Festival in Ladakh in northern India is held every year however every 12 years during Tibetan Year of the Monkey this festival is very auspicious as they celebrate the life of Guru Padamasambhava and Naropa. The birth of Lord Padmasambhava also known Guru Rimpoche is the spiritual leader who introduced Buddhism in the Himalayan Kingdom in early 8th Century.<br /><br />During this special festival held every twelve year the monks at Hemis monastery unfurl a 12 metre high Thangka and display the holy 6 bones ornament from Naropa. There are dances and plays by masked Lamas representing the good prevailing over evil. The participants of the spellbinding performance are dressed in vibrant costumes and bright masks. <br /><br />In the court yard of the monastery there is a raised platform with cushioned seats and a finely painted Tibetan table with the ceremonial items such as cups of holy water, rice, tormas made of dough and butter and incense. Musicians play with cymbals, drums, small trumpets and next to them the lamas sit and pray.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-u0qUXv9IriU/V3eef2fpUrI/AAAAAAAADFA/R793hKyaZTAUZKxtIr-ThHUfeVn_FBB3gCLcB/s1600/CIMG1456.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-u0qUXv9IriU/V3eef2fpUrI/AAAAAAAADFA/R793hKyaZTAUZKxtIr-ThHUfeVn_FBB3gCLcB/s1600/CIMG1456.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Hemis Monastery</td></tr></tbody></table><div>At Hemis Festival 2016 will be a large gathering of Drukpa teachers. Drukpa is a lineage or school of Tibetan Buddhism often called “red-hat-sect”. The Drukpa lineage is prominent in Kham (eastern Tibet), Ladakh and Bhutan. Drukpa in Bhutan has a great significance as it is the dominant school and state religion. Outside the monastery there will be many stalls selling food and handicrafts with many travellers enjoying the festivities.<br /><br />Please note the date of Hemis Festival in 2016 has been delayed from July 14th to September in order to avoid a clash of dates with the visit of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to Ladakh over the summer.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Mountain Company is organising our classic <a href="http://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/india/walking-and-trekking/ladakh-skytrail-ght/">Ladakh Sky Trail GHT </a>trek in mid August led by Almas Khan, please get in touch if you would like to join this group.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Roland Hunter</b></div><div><b><a href="http://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/">www.themountaincompany.co.uk</a></b></div>www.themountaincompany.co.ukhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02641924774255965252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1286989939445837912.post-60888213113877920802016-06-14T14:24:00.000+01:002016-07-11T23:20:08.597+01:00Trip Report for Upper Dolpo to Jomsom GHT trek led by Ade Summers and Chandra Rai in May 2016<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qYKw0uhncnY/V1_9-E7MiTI/AAAAAAAADDg/rOWCtIhqqSI4WhHvcxHKPl4affyN_cNNQCLcB/s1600/ViewMuriLa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qYKw0uhncnY/V1_9-E7MiTI/AAAAAAAADDg/rOWCtIhqqSI4WhHvcxHKPl4affyN_cNNQCLcB/s1600/ViewMuriLa.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: view from Muri La</td></tr></tbody></table>In May we organised our third <a href="http://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/nepal/walking-and-trekking/upper-dolpo-to-jomsom">Upper Dolpo to Jomsom GHT trek</a> along The Great Himalaya Trail. Unfortunately we had to cancel our 2015 trek due to the earthquake in Nepal and it was good to see three of the group from last year re-booked again for 2016. We had twelve trekkers in the group and there was a mix of nationalities with people coming from Australia, UK, USA, New Zealand and Canada.<br /><br />This trek was led by Ade Summers and Chandra Rai supported by four assistant guides called Hebi, Bhim, Bal Bahadur and we engaged a local guide from Dunai called Narendra. The cook was Ram Pratap Rai with six kitchen helpers. Ade and Chandra have worked together leading our Upper Dolpo group on our two previous treks in 2014 and 2010 so they know this region very well. To find out how Ade and Chandra got along with their 2014 Upper Dolpo trek please take a look at <a href="http://themountaincompany.blogspot.co.uk/2014/06/trip-report-for-upper-dolpo-to-jomsom.html">Trip Report for Upper Dolpo to Jomsom GHT trek in May 2014.</a><br /><br />Our <a href="http://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/nepal/walking-and-trekking/upper-dolpo-to-jomsom">Upper Dolpo to Jomsom itinerary</a> visits a very remote region of Nepal and instead of following the more popular Upper Dolpo Circuit we head further north to an area very close to the Tibet border. Upper Dolpo has been referred to as the last enclave of pure Tibetan culture with the landscape and Buddhist &amp; Bonpo religion of this region more like Tibet in pre Chinese times than of the rest of Nepal.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TTdEP8aVxds/V2ADk2pnTxI/AAAAAAAADD8/3bogbbCAwVA__S-dHerVI145VNGtvTbOwCLcB/s1600/KangLa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TTdEP8aVxds/V2ADk2pnTxI/AAAAAAAADD8/3bogbbCAwVA__S-dHerVI145VNGtvTbOwCLcB/s1600/KangLa.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: crossing Kang La to Shey</td></tr></tbody></table><div>Very few foreigners visit Upper Dolpo and this is mainly due to the remoteness and the expense of getting there. To access this region requires complicated logistics to support a trekking party as it is not possible to purchase food in Upper Dolpo apart from a few potatoes so everything has to be brought in from Kathmandu. Also North of Phoksumdo Lake is a restricted area for tourists and this requires a special permit and for this itinerary costs US$810 per person. However for those people who make the effort to visit Upper Dolpo you will see a beautiful place with traditional villages that has not been significantly impacted by the outside world.</div><div><br />At the start of the trek we chartered a Twin Otter plane from Tara Air for the flight from Pokhara to Juphal rather than relying on schedule flights from Nepalganj further to the west. Transiting through Nepalganj is prone to delays due to lack of aircraft and the temperatures are very hot at this time of year. As anyone who has trekked in Nepal will be aware the flights to STOL (short takeoff and landing) airstrips in the hills are prone to delays and cancellation. If there is poor weather and delays then Pokhara is a far more pleasant place to stay with good hotels and restaurants compared to the sticky, humid climate at Nepalganj.<br /><br />Luckily for our 2016 Upper Dolpo to Jomsom GHT group their Twin Otter flight from Pokhara operated on time and they landed safely to Juphal on May 9th. After meeting Chandra and the rest of the guides the group walked for a few hours to Dunai where they camped for the first night. For the next three days the trail follows the Suli Gad River flowing down from Phoksumdo Lake. On May 13th the group walked through Ringmo village and onto their campsite on the shores of the stunningly beautiful Phoksumdo Lake. The next day was a rest day where the group enjoyed visited the nearby Bönpo Buddhist monastery and explored the traditional village of Ringmo.&nbsp;</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZU6v2kCJdfE/V2AEWfmwOxI/AAAAAAAADEI/UBqqr7kgFZAbtiCeZEkL1AAL6vl297HiACLcB/s1600/DSC04309.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZU6v2kCJdfE/V2AEWfmwOxI/AAAAAAAADEI/UBqqr7kgFZAbtiCeZEkL1AAL6vl297HiACLcB/s1600/DSC04309.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Phoksumdo Lake near Ringmo village</td></tr></tbody></table><div>On May 15th the group followed the western side of Phoksumdo Lake along a narrow cliff trail, this is the ‘Devil’s trail’ followed by Thinle in Eric Valli’s film “Himalaya”. The narrow path ascends to a ridge with spectacular views over the turquoise lake to Ringmo village and the peaks of Kanjiroba (6,612m), Norbung Kang (6,085) and Jhyarko Dingla (5,892m). There is a gradual descent through stands of birch trees to the northern shore of Phoksumdo Lake to the camp for the night. All foreigners are required to have the restricted area permit as discussed above when they travel north of Phoksumdo Lake.<br /><br />From Phoksumdo Lake North Camp the group starts the two and half day ascent to the first high pass of the trek called Kang La. This pass is known as the crux of Upper Dolpo to Jomsom GHT as there is often snow blocking the pass. We organise our Dolpo trek to maximise the chances of crossing this pass by selecting the optimal time of year when the snowline is receding as the temperatures warm up in mid-May. However the key to crossing this pass is to use only porters rather than ponies or yaks that will stuck in the deep snow. It is for this reason we send porters from Kathmandu with this group rather than rely on local animal transport. This year there was some snow on the slopes to Kang La however the guides did a good job breaking trail the day before the group's crossing. On May 17th the whole group and crew successfully crossed Kang La over to Shey Gompa.<br /><br />On May 18th the group had a well-deserved rest day at Shey as they still had two spare days in hand within our itinerary as so far had experienced no delays along the way. On the rest day I heard most people went for a walk down the valley from Shey for an hour to an old monastery and had salt butter tea with the caretaker.<br /><br />On May 19th the group took the trail ascending Saldang La and the view from this pass was spectacular to the north into Tibet, east to Mustang and west to Crystal Mountain and Kanjiroba. It is on today’s walk one enters typical Upper Dolpo landscape resembling the arid Tibetan plateau with folded rock strata in hues of yellow, orange and purple.&nbsp;</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vZNc7Ai5wks/V2AEkaIftGI/AAAAAAAADEQ/NCyqbNuU2aI53ggttBn6CUu6639GyhXwgCLcB/s1600/SaldangLa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vZNc7Ai5wks/V2AEkaIftGI/AAAAAAAADEQ/NCyqbNuU2aI53ggttBn6CUu6639GyhXwgCLcB/s1600/SaldangLa.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: crossing Sangda La in Upper Dolpo</td></tr></tbody></table><div>Throughout this expedition we received weather forecasts from Michael Fagin at <a href="http://everestweather.com/">everestweather.com</a> and we send these onto Ade by text to his satellite phone. Having professional weather forecasts is essential for safety in crossing high passes and for decision making in the field. Michael’s forecast on May 14th informed us of a tropical disturbance located in the Bay of Bengal and this was later named as Cyclone Roanu. Michael gave us frequent updates as he tracked the path of this cyclone and luckily there was no direct impact to the Himalaya. There was heavy precipitation in the east of Nepal and also in Everest region (where several of Everest Base Camp groups experienced heavy rain) however our Upper Dolpo group were located north of the clouds so got off lightly with only several cloudy days. For the rest of the trek this group had excellent weather with clear and sunny conditions.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Thk8QpLp7Rc/V2AFAUdUuNI/AAAAAAAADEc/ni1Ale_3UMAhoF0n5hEZclsiv-yg6m6ugCLcB/s1600/Cyclone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Thk8QpLp7Rc/V2AFAUdUuNI/AAAAAAAADEc/ni1Ale_3UMAhoF0n5hEZclsiv-yg6m6ugCLcB/s1600/Cyclone.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: aerial photo of Cyclone Roanu</td></tr></tbody></table><div>We used a GPS spot tracker for this group and for each night on trek Ade checked in sending a gps signal to us so we could track this group's progress. <a href="http://www.findmespot.com/spotadventures/index.php/view_adventure?tripid=343137">Click here to see the way points overlaid onto a map for Upper Dolpo to Jomsom GHT</a><br /><br />As you can see from the map above our Upper Dolpo to Jomsom group GHT made good progress and successfully completed the full traverse from Juphal to Jomsom crossing. This itinerary travels through some of the most remote and rarely trekked areas of Nepal as they head north into Upper Dolpo on border with Tibet then start the traverse eastwards crossing five high passes over 5,000m along the Great Himalaya Trail to Jomsom. Congratulations and well done to this group!<br /><br />One of the highlights of this trek was the exciting news that the group saw two snow leopards along the way. The first one was seen by Ken near Mischagaon village and the second one was seen by most of the group on way from Tinje to Rapka. I gather there was some debate whether it was a wolf or snow leopard however most of the guides were pretty sure it was the elusive snow leopard. From feedback received from the group the other highpoint of the trek was the visit to a gompa/ monastery for the celebrations and pujas for Buddha Jayanti known as Buddha's birthday.<br /><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7MXV3NPqjdU/V2ACxYiii-I/AAAAAAAADDw/Bs67ZYZ9n7Ya8N1KmR0bNNc6G4nVM1cawCLcB/s1600/Snow%2BLeopard%2Bblog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7MXV3NPqjdU/V2ACxYiii-I/AAAAAAAADDw/Bs67ZYZ9n7Ya8N1KmR0bNNc6G4nVM1cawCLcB/s1600/Snow%2BLeopard%2Bblog.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: snow leopard</td></tr></tbody></table><div>The one change to the trek since 2014 is the construction of a jeep track to Sandga village so on last day of the trek to Kagbeni one follows the road. However there was no traffic apart from one or two motorbikes and one can cut a few corners off to save time. We have not heard any negative feedback from the group about this as it is more like walking on a wide trail however one wonders when the road will reach into Upper Dolpo?<br /><br />The group flew out of Jomsom as planned on June 3rd and after a change in planes in Pokhara arrived to Kathmandu in afternoon to check into Hotel Tibet. One of the risks of organising a trek at this time of year is the chance of more clouds as monsoon advances north across India causing delays to internal flights in Nepal. However this group was fortunate for both flights into Juphal and out of Jomsom and if the flight from Jomsom is cancelled the Plan B is to drive to Pokhara although this is a long and bumpy road where we have to rely on local vehicles. This is the reason we include two nights in Kathmandu at the end of the trip to allow some buffer time to allow for this drive if Jomsom flight is cancelled.<br /><br />Thanks very much to Ade and Chandra for leading this trek, to the Sherpas guides, Ram the cook, his kitchen helpers and of course the porters for all of their hard work. It is a tradition to thank the local crew on last night of the trek and to hand out tips, I heard this group were generous also purchasing a special meal for the porters too.<br /><br />The Mountain Company is planning to organise our <a href="http://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/nepal/walking-and-trekking/upper-dolpo-to-jomsom">Upper Dolpo to Jomsom GHT trek</a> in May/ June 2017, we already have enough people to guarantee to run this departure so we expect this group to fill quite soon. As mentioned above we had a full group in 2016 and the numbers are limited to twelve people due to the capacity on the private charter flight to Juphal.<br /><br />Please get in touch with us soon if you like to join our <a href="http://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/nepal/walking-and-trekking/upper-dolpo-to-jomsom">Upper Dolpo to Jomsom GHT trek</a> in May/ June 2017.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Roland Hunter</b></div><div><b><a href="http://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/">www.themountaincompany.co.uk</a></b></div>www.themountaincompany.co.ukhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02641924774255965252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1286989939445837912.post-63680999420250305352016-06-13T16:35:00.003+01:002016-06-13T16:38:24.761+01:00Trip report for Kanchenjunga Circuit trek led by Ade Summers and Jhire Rai in April 2016<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-a7I8GUlEx2Q/V17Rqpzv_TI/AAAAAAAADDI/h_TbrnQ39P0xUJHkre1hG294tSkUErobACLcB/s1600/DSC_2436.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-a7I8GUlEx2Q/V17Rqpzv_TI/AAAAAAAADDI/h_TbrnQ39P0xUJHkre1hG294tSkUErobACLcB/s1600/DSC_2436.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: trail to Pangpema</td></tr></tbody></table>In April, we organised our <a href="http://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/nepal/walking-and-trekking/kanchenjunga-circuit/">Kanchenjunga Circuit trek</a> in eastern Nepal and this trek was led by Ade Summers (UK) and Jhire Rai (Nepal). Ade has led this trek three times before and Jhire has done this trek many times. Our assistant guide was Raj who comes from Taplejung and this works well for organisation to have a local in the leadership team. The cook was Sangram who has also completed this trek many times before.<br /><br />For our April 2016 Kanchenjunga Circuit group there were five trekkers coming from New Zealand and USA. The first day of the trip was April 12th and next morning Ade gave his trek briefing and I also attended. On April 14th the group flew to Bhadrapur in east of Nepal and in afternoon drove up to Ilam for the night. This group stuck to the itinerary walking up as planned to Pangpema at Kanchenjunga northside Base Camp on April 25th and then returned to Ghunsa on the next day. The group decided not to have a rest day at Gunsa and on 26th head up to High Camp before Mirgin La. They successfully crossed over Mirgin La on April 27th arriving to Tseram village in late afternoon.<br /><br />On April 28th the group walked up to Oktang for the impressive viewpoint of the south west face of Kanchenjunga and descending to camp at Ramche. From here there is a long walk out and on May 5th arrived to Suketar (near Taplejung). They drove back down through Ilam down to the plains to stay the night at a hotel in Birtamod before flying back to Kathmandu on May 7th.<br /><br />On their return I met up with the group at Hotel Tibet for debrief on the trek and to hear their feedback. Overall the feedback received has been positive as this group had good weather throughout the trip and they successfully completed the trek by crossing Mirgin La.<br /><br />As with all of TMC western led treks we track their progress while in the field through SPOT gps check ins, <a href="http://www.findmespot.com/spotadventures/index.php/view_adventure?tripid=342951">you can see the map of this trek on SPOT Adventure website</a><br /><br />Throughout the course of Kanchenjunga Circuit trek we received bespoke weather forecasts from Michael Fagin at <a href="http://www.everestweather.com/">www.everestweather.com</a> and this information is sent through to Ade on his satellite phone. Having professional weather forecasts is essential for safety in crossing high passes and for decision making in the field.<br /><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.everestweather.com/"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DMA6cDESehk/V17MoJH-WVI/AAAAAAAADDA/oqkrigZzvJ01Gtz69KX-j7TM-MHd1eDNACKgB/s1600/EverestWeather.gif" /></a></div><div><br />Thanks very much to Ade, Jhire, Raj and Sangram and the rest of the team for their hard work on this trek.<br /><br />The Mountain Company is promoting <a href="http://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/nepal/walking-and-trekking/kanchenjunga-circuit/">Kanchenjunga Circuit trek</a> for November 2016 and April 2017. Our November departure is nearly guaranteed to run so please get in touch soon if you like to join this group.<br /><br /><b>Roland Hunter</b></div><div><b><a href="http://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/">www.themountaincompany.co.uk</a></b></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>www.themountaincompany.co.ukhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02641924774255965252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1286989939445837912.post-39076036301365287342016-06-13T15:12:00.004+01:002016-06-13T16:12:46.881+01:00Trip report for Dhaulagiri Circuit led by Almas Khan and Domi Sherpa in April 2016<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UcN2WVQJros/V168X9T975I/AAAAAAAADCo/2dcMjO8JjnEPsS3HYvgQ3rQamdLF9WZcQCLcB/s1600/DSC05557.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UcN2WVQJros/V168X9T975I/AAAAAAAADCo/2dcMjO8JjnEPsS3HYvgQ3rQamdLF9WZcQCLcB/s1600/DSC05557.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Mount Dhaulagiri seen from French Pass</td></tr></tbody></table>In April we organised our 12th group trek around <a href="http://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/nepal/walking-and-trekking/dhaulagiri-circuit/">Dhaulagiri Circuit</a> and this was also our 2nd expedition to climb Dhampus Peak. On their return to Kathmandu I caught up with most of the group for a debrief at KToo steakhouse in Kathmandu for their feedback on the trip. <br /><br />We had six people in this group and out of these one person decided to pay for the extra cost to climb Dhampus Peak. This surcharge covers the permit fee US$250 and per permit rules the costs to provide equipment to the climbing guide of US$350 and insurance fees for helicopter rescue. Therefore the cost of this surcharge depends on the number of people opting for Dhampus Peak and with a larger group the cost per person will decrease i.e in Autumn season for six people this works out at US$595 per person.<br /><br />The group arrived to Kathmandu on April 17th and as usual with our teams there was a mix of nationalities with people coming from UK, Australia, India, USA and Germany. The leaders for our Dhaulagiri Circuit with Dhampus trip were Almas Khan (Australia) and Domi Sherpa (Nepal). The Sherpa guide supporting the group was Sonam and the cook was Saila Tamang.<br /><br />After the pre-trip briefing given by Almas and Domi on April 17th the group flew to Pokhara on 18th and took the bus to Beni then after lunch walked to their first camp at Tatopani. The weather in Nepal this Spring has been been dry with virtually no rain however there was an afternoon rain storm on evening of first day trekking. This precipitation cleared the air as the views at lower level had been obscured for several weeks by haze caused by forest fires throughout Nepal. I gather the group were lucky to get good views of the Himalayas including Mt Dhaulagiri over next two days as they walked through the villages. As ever the days lower down on Dhaulagiri Circuit are always hot and humid as first night camp at Tatopani is only at an altitude of 870 metres.<br /><div><br /></div><div>After Boghara village on Day 5 the trail enters sub-tropical forest and then on Day 8 rises out of tree line to reach Italian Base Camp. We have carefully designed our Dhaulagiri Circuit for acclimatisation and our groups have two nights at Italian Base Camp at 3,660m followed by two nights at Glacier Camp at 4,200m then a further two nights at Dhaulagiri Base Camp at 4,700m. Only with this ascent profile will you have enough time for your body to adapt to the high altitude for safe crossing of the high passes and for sleeping in Hidden Valley at 5,050m.<br /><br />As reported in <a href="http://themountaincompany.blogspot.co.uk/2015/10/trip-report-for-dhaulagiri-circuit-led.html">Trip Report for Dhaulagiri Circuit in October 2015</a> there was a change in the trail from Italian Base Camp to Glacier Camp as previously one approached the glacier on left side of Chonbarden gorge however the glacier has melted back and now there is no longer a gentle ramp to access the glacier. In October our group had to cross the glacial river however luckily for our April’s group were able to cross on a snow bridge.<br /><br />As with all of TMC western led treks we track their progress while in the field through SPOT gps check ins,&nbsp;<a href="http://www.findmespot.com/spotadventures/index.php/view_adventure?tripid=342924">you can see the map of this trek in SPOT Adventure website</a><br /><br />Throughout this expedition we received weather forecasts from Michael Fagin at <a href="http://everestweather.com/">everestweather.com</a> and we sent these onto Almas by text to his satellite phone. Overall the weather for this trek was good with sunny and stable conditions and had sunny day on crossing French Pass and Dhampus Pass. Having professional weather forecasts is essential for safety in crossing high passes and for decision making in the field.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.everestweather.com/"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DMA6cDESehk/V17MoJH-WVI/AAAAAAAADC4/7wKz6WesfcEYTkIoKZ-Al9TZ54GD1_STwCLcB/s1600/EverestWeather.gif" /></a></div><br />On May 1st most of the group went for exploration walks around Hidden Valley following the ridge walk as described in my blog article <a href="http://themountaincompany.blogspot.co.uk/2010/10/photos-of-day-walk-in-hidden-valley-on.html">“Photos of day walk in Hidden Valley on Dhaulagiri Circuit trek”</a>. The feedback from the group was enjoyed this day and is a good alternative to climbing Dhampus Peak in order to save money on paying for peak fees and other costs as explained above. The views are wonderful views over to Annapurnas and Nilgiri to the east and over to Dolpo to the west and also to Mount Dhaulagiri.<br /><br />One member of the group plus Almas and Domi left the camp in Hidden Valley early in the morning to ascend to Dhampus pass. In the end they reached nearly 6,000m however was turned around as was not moving fast enough and was running out of time to get back to Hidden Valley before dark. It is worth bearing in mind if considering the climb of Dhampus Peak that the ascent is 1,000m from<br />camp in Hidden Valley. This is a big day at altitude!<br /><br />I have copied one members feedback from <a href="https://www.aito.com/the-mountain-company/reviews/1">AITO.com website</a> below:<br /><br /><i>"I trekked around Dhaulagiri, crossing the French (5,380m) and Dhampus (5,250m) passes, with an attempt on Dhampus peak (6,030 m) where I got to 5,800 m on the summit ridge. The trek was excellent and we were very lucky to have near perfect weather. The trek was very well organized, with the group well prepared for the inclement weather and trail conditions frequently experience on this route. This was a very well organized trek, with excellent leadership by Almas Khan, and sirdar Domi Sherpa. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and would have no hesitation in choosing The Mountain Company organized future trek."&nbsp;</i></div><div><br /></div><div>Congratulations to the group for completing Dhaulagiri Circuit! I would like thank Almas, Domi, Sonam and Saila plus the rest of the team for their help and hard work in making this trip work so well.<br /><br />The Mountain Company organise our <a href="http://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/nepal/walking-and-trekking/dhaulagiri-circuit/">Dhaulagiri Circuit trek and Dhampus Peak expedition</a> twice a year in April and October, please get in touch if you like to join one of these departures. By the way our Dhaulagiri Circuit group in October 2016 is already guaranteed to run and the group is filling.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Roland Hunter</b></div><div><b><a href="http://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/">www.themountaincompany.co.uk</a></b></div>www.themountaincompany.co.ukhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02641924774255965252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1286989939445837912.post-56105826134525901592016-02-14T14:03:00.000+00:002016-02-14T14:08:43.488+00:00Punakha Drubchen and Tsechu festivals in Bhutan during February 2016<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-paXAbuPqm2M/VsCH6ME1SrI/AAAAAAAADB4/1tCjItRWXgU/s1600/P1030266.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-paXAbuPqm2M/VsCH6ME1SrI/AAAAAAAADB4/1tCjItRWXgU/s1600/P1030266.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Punakha dzong in Bhutan</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Punakha’s <b>Drubchen and Tsechu festivals</b> are the fourth most popular festivals in Bhutan behind Paro Tsechu, Thimphu Tsechu and Jambay Lhakang in Bumthang. The 2016 dates for Punakha Drubchen is February 13th to 16th and for Punakha Tsechu is February 17th to 19th.<br /><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KMFaOr9z8Qc/VsCICJbFkhI/AAAAAAAADB8/uxGDJP4d4oA/s1600/fp4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KMFaOr9z8Qc/VsCICJbFkhI/AAAAAAAADB8/uxGDJP4d4oA/s1600/fp4.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Cham dance at Tsechue</td></tr></tbody></table><div><b>Punakha Drubchen festival</b> is dedicated to the legendary figures of Yeshe Gonpo and Palden Lhamo known as the two main protective deities of Drukpas or Bhutanese people. This is a unique festival as it features a recreation of the scene from the 17th century battle with Tibetan army. The ‘pazaps’ or local militia men, dress in traditional battle gear and re-enact the ancient battle scene. On the second day of the festival on February 14th a thongdrol is unfurled. A thongdrol is a large thanka and this one is made of applique on silk brocade taking fifty-one artists two years to finish. <br /><br />In 2005 another festival known as <b>Punakha Tshechu</b> was introduced by the 70th Je Khenpo Trulku Jigme Choedra and the then Home Minister His Excellency Lyonpo Jigme Yoedzer Thinley. The colourful religious dances of the Punakha tsechu festival commemorate Guru Rinpoche responsible for bringing Buddhism to Bhutan. Many of the dances were first started by Shabdrung, a Tibetan Buddhist lama, who unified Bhutan in 1634. The dances are performed by monks as well as lay people and will bring blessings to the onlookers as well as instructing them about the Buddhist Dharma.</div><div><br /></div><div>Please get in touch with us if you like to visit Bhutan during one of their Tsechu festivals, for more information take a look at our <a href="http://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/bhutan/cultural-tours/">Cultural Tours of Bhutan</a></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Roland Hunter</b></div><div><b><a href="http://www.themountaincompany.co.uk/">www.themountaincompany.co.uk</a></b></div><div><br /></div>www.themountaincompany.co.ukhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02641924774255965252noreply@blogger.com0